 TRIAL BY JURY and HMS PINAFORE
Tue 9 to Sat 13
March 2010
Palace Theatre, Redditch
Director - Kevin Hirons
Musical Director - Norma Kift
Stage Manager - Ian Dixon
Rehearsal Pianist - Carol Griffiths
The Cast - Trial by Jury
| The Learned Judge |
Julian Wilson |
| The Plaintiff |
Mandy Goddard |
| The Defendant |
Anthony Davies-Brown |
| Counsel for the Plaintiff |
Dennis Crowe |
| Usher |
Leslie Johnson |
| Forman of the Jury |
Stewart Vick |
The Cast - HMS Pinafore
| The Rt Hon Sir Joseph Porter KCB |
Andrew Wilson-Jenner |
| Captain Corcoran |
Michael Hawkins |
| Ralph Rackstraw |
Anthony Davies-Brown |
| Dick Deadeye |
Ian Walton |
| Josephine |
Jo Hargreaves |
| Hebe |
Melanie Hart |
| Mrs Cripps (Little Buttercup) |
Joy Vater |
| Bill Bobstay |
Tony Vater |
| Bob Beckett |
Julian Wilson |
Reviews
An exuberant show
"The 40-minute long Trial by Jury with no spoken dialogue is a witty story of the absurdities that could come from a breach of promise case - providing the diction in the songs is good enough to follow the tale.
Happily main characters Julian Wilson (the judge), Mandy Goddard (the plaintiff) and Anthony Davies-Brown (the defendant) managed to keep us abreast of the court proceedings and provide a lively start to the evening.
But Pinafore was the must-see of the night and it was clear why it was an international sensation when first performed in the 1870s. The ship-board humour focuses on love crossing the class divide, party politics, people in positions of power through birth instead of achievement and the satire would have been viewed with great mirth in Victorian days. Modern additions to the script brought it up to date and local for the Redditch audience - even a little risqué at times!
The undoubted star voice was that of Captain Corcoran, Michael Hawkins. His rich tones with every word clearly enunciated filled the theatre seemingly without effort and his solo was spellbinding.
The star performance came from Admiral Porter, Andrew Wilson-Jenner, whose outrageous costumes and camp delivery had us in stitches. Ralph Rackstraw (Anthony Davies-Brown), Dick Dead- Eye (Ian Walton), Josephine (Jo Hargreaves), Cousin Hebe (Melanie Hart) and Buttercup (Joy Vater) also sang and performed well with the actors' ages in-keeping with the writer's intentions - often hard for an amateur society to achieve - and the entire performance provided the exuberant and whimsical atmosphere Gilbert & Sullivan intended."
Alison Parkinson, Redditch Standard
G&S continues to thrive
"G&S still continues to thrive and performances like this will enhance its appeal. 'Trial' is of course a 'soupcon' to the main event but is a little gem in its own right and was very well performed, with 'Judge', Julian Wilson, and 'Plaintiff', Mandy Goddard, splendid in their roles.
'Pinafore' has a host of superb melodies and was superbly sung and performed by an experienced and talented cast with 'Sir Joseph', Andrew Wilson-Jenner, 'Corcoran', Michael Hawkins and 'Buttercup' outstanding.
Generally this was a traditional production but with some enjoyable innovative touches. Ensemble performers, sets, orchestra, costumes and lighting enhanced both productions."
Trevor Guest, NODA West Midlands Area
Photographs
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