A fun and enjoyable production, too shy to make the play their own
Every Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera has the same secret weapon in their arsenal; juxtaposition. This is often the strongest technique of G&S, setting silly and fun stories against deeper subtext and commentary using the medium of opera.
Once the crux of the story is revealed, a plot revolving around the search for a king with a wife of whom he is not aware of, the show hits its stride, being engaging and joyful, mixing satire about the British owning class with heartfelt love straight out of a B tier sitcom plot, accompanied by good – but not outstanding -songs.
The beginning of the first act drags on, meandering between setup before finally introducing us to the Duke and Duchess (Ian Lawson, and Fiona Main). Work could have been done to make this first act more engaging if the production company chooses not to make cuts.
The best performances are the Duke and Duchess. They enjoy the splendour afforded by their titles, carrying themselves with such pomp it only heightens the contrast with their songs about the schemes they run, or childish complaining about their journey from Spain. They both hit the vocal performances well, and deliver every line of dialogue with the snarky tone of not-so-noble noblemen who *really* don’t want to have to interact with any of the rabble that doesn’t benefit them.
This display of understanding of Gilbert and Sullivan’s material and its strengths can also be seen in Sebastion Davidson’s performance as Giuseppe. In the first act he is a principled republican, and the second act, a king enjoying all the fruits of nobility, Sebastion plays this arc with all the charm and slyness needed to let us buy into this seeming change of heart and enjoy the comedy that jumps forth. Unfortunately his brother Marco (Theo Rankine-Fourdraine) has more of a wooden acting style, but whose tenor singing is some of the most beautiful throughout.
The setting of the play within Venice is dutifully recreated, with backdrops evoking the famous Piazza San Marco including a moving Gondola, and later the grand palace. The costumes are more impressive – while the material looks on the cheap side, Utopia costuming did well with its patchwork dresses worn by the peasant women, who strive for glamour but make do with a lot less. This is not a high budget show and the costumes and set do their job well given what resources are available to the Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society, whose members are often putting this show on alongside their full time jobs.
One thing that isn’t restricted by finances however is the wit and charm in the updated lyrics and dialogue. For the most part this production sticks with the original script with some minor additional jokes, however the one time they do completely rewrite a song to poke fun at the nepotism and corruption current in British and American political society, it comes off brilliantly, giving us the best song later in the second act. This success highlights the lack of contemporary update throughout, which feels like missed opportunities.
We see another example of how good the additions could be, during a quintet wherein we see freeze frames whenever one character does sing, as if we the audience are trapped in their heads.
The show is enjoyable as a faithful but safe production from a company who display the ability but not the confidence to transform the original play, their own.