Gilbert & Sullivan (Sort Of) (9/15/18)

Cox and Box; Trial by Jury

These were studio performances by company members of the Delaware Valley Opera. Performed with modified staging and costumes, and performed to piano accompaniment, this was a fun romp on a Saturday evening. It was also the first meeting of the 83rd season of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of New York, so there were a lot of G&S aficionados in attendance. In addition, we the audience were encouraged to be part of the chorus in Trial by Jury. I dutifully joined in but almost wish I hadn’t; I was focusing so much on the score (lent to me for the occasion) that I didn’t get the full effect of seeing the show.

Cox and Box – F.C. Burnand & Sir Arthur Sullivan (1866) – James John Cox – Bryan Elsesser; John James Box – Nicholas Wuehrmann; Sergeant Bouncer – Ken Parks

Trial by Jury– Sir William S. Gilbert & Sir Arthur Sullivan (1875) – The Learned Judge – Nicholas Wuehrmann; The Plaintiff (Angelina) – Natalie Ballenger; The Defendant (Edwin) – Jack Tobey; Counsel for the Plaintiff – Janice Myerson; Usher – Ken Parks; Foreman of the Jury – Anthony Maida; Erica Rome, piano (for both)

The ‘Sort Of’ referred to above is because Burnand (and not Gilbert) wrote the libretto for Cox and Box. All right, that’s out of the way.

I’m not even going to bother with plot descriptions (hello! Victorian-era comic opera). Suffice it to say that there were many chuckles and groans. OK, just a couple. This, from Cox and Box (after discovering that the two may/might/june be long lost brothers (twins!)): “Do you have a strawberry mark on your left arm?” “No.” “Then it is he!” (I’m not making this up, you know.) Trial by Jury had this nugget that the Learned Judge sang (and the chorus dutifully repeated): “She may very well pass for forty-three in the dusk with the light behind her.” The shows were fun, well performed, and well worth attending.

Here’s the real ConcertMeister approach. I had the great pleasure of working with Ken Parks many years ago (1984, specifically) in the longest-titled-musicals in history—Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, starring Jimmy Osmond; On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, starring Diana Canova; and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring Ron Palillo, at Bucks County Playhouse. It was a great summer of summer stock.

Fast backward (as opposed to fast forward), here’s another real ConcertMeister approach. In 1977 (about six to eight months after moving to NYC), I sang the role of Box in a Light Opera of Manhattan studio performance. I was green but, hey! it was my Off-Broadway debut. I also performed in the ensemble of Trial. After seeing the DVO performances on Saturday night, I actually found a recording of my one-night-only performance. It was recorded on a tiny Walkman, so the sound quality was not great but it certainly brought back a lot of memories. Our version was performed with piano and organ accompaniment, and Michael was the organist. In fact, the Light Opera of Manhattan is where we met—and the rest, as they say, was history. Yes indeed, it truly did bring back a lot of memories.

I’m certainly glad that I heard and saw the DVO productions but I don’t think I’ll be running out to join the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of New York any time soon.

ConcertMeister