The Gondoliers

Being one who normally dislikes Gilbert and Sullivan, I was a little skeptical of this musical. I quickly found out that, no matter how much one dislikes their style, he cannot deny having enjoyed this musical masterpiece. There is no other show like it.

To start with what is dissatisfying, to any Savoyard who knows the lines to every Gilbert and Sullivan song, not being able to sing along when someone decides to change lyrics can be particularly annoying. This is the case in this production, where it feels like about 30-40% of the lyrics have been altered or simplified. One of the other issues with this is that the jokes are now quite dated, and I'd suspect that non-Canadians might be a bit puzzled by some of them.

The song "I am a courtier" was cut, which really ruins what could be an almost near-perfect version of the Gondoliers. Cuts in G&S are really unnecessary, and I rarely understand why they're so common, since no G&S comic opera is much longer than 160 minutes. Mostly, this is disservice to G&S fans.

Inconsistency with accents: some are Canadian, some are British, some are Spanish. Don Alhambra features a very funny Spanish accent, and as a comic performance, this is really one of a kind and very funny, so I cannot object to it. However, the actors are all talented and more than capable of the British accents that suit the songs - this is a minor issue however, and it is not as bad as some American recordings of G&S.

As regards good stuff:

While lyric changes are not necessary to make Gilbert and Sullivan funny, one has to be miserable and stuffy not to laugh at some of the choices made in this regard.

The acting is superb, lively, vivid, characterised, and funny. The actors are all truly talented and believe in their performances. While this version is sometimes disliked because the Duchess is played by a man, Douglas Chamberlain's performance is quite good, so I cannot see any reason to dislike the production on this point.

The set is well put together and well used.

The dancing is very well done, and something that many productions of G&S forget. The original D'Oyly Carte productions featured dancing, and this should not be neglected as often as it is. "Dance a Cachucha" with dummies that is absolutely hilarious, and really memorable - apparently this was taken from an earlier Stratford production of something, and it has since been used by Opera Australia. By the end you'll be laughing in tears.

I've never been so impressed and moved to laughter so easily by a G&S production as by this one, and I think it really comes down to the emphasis placed on the fact it is a parody. One isn't supposed to have emotional or dramatic depth, since that would take away from the fact that it's all supposed to be in good (English) humour. While Gilbert wouldn't approve of such lyric or dialogue changes, since one of the advantages of the originals is that they're timeless, as I said before, one can't but appreciate and enjoy the ones done here, even if one would prefer the originals.

One of the best performances of Gilbert and Sullivan's work I have ever seen. I have always likes G&S, but this particular operetta is now my favourite one of their works, thanks to this film. Combining elaborate (and imaginative) staging with excellent acting and clever visual ideas that all add together to create a fun-packed, light-hearted evening full of great tunes, laughs and a general sense of feeling happy. This is an exemplary sentiment of late 19th century Britain, and what Gilbert and Sullivan is all about.

Afterwards, one cannot get the incredibly catchy melodies out of one's head, and has one's spirits lifted for quite some time. Quite an experience!

I remarked in my 1984 Iolanthe review that I didn't care for the Stratford production of The Gondoliers when I first saw it. I also said that it had been years ago when I did see it initially. So following watching that performance, and having mixed views I re-watched this performance hoping that it would be better. And it was, so much so that I am shocked at how initially wrong I was. I can't really explain the reasoning for my indifference towards this production at first, maybe it was because I wasn't as into Gilbert and Sullivan as I am now, maybe I didn't understand the dialogue or lyrics or maybe I wasn't charmed by the story. As it now stands, I happen to love G&S, some of the stories of their operettas are on the ridiculous side but the catchy melodies and witty dialogue and lyrics more than make amends, and that is exactly the case with The Gondoliers. I much preferred this Gondoliers over the Iolanthe, part of the reasoning is that I do personally prefer The Gondoliers as an operetta, and also it is more respectful towards its material, any alterations to the score, dialogue or lyrics are not as bad here, the stage business is not overdone and the acting generally is much more subtle. That is surprisingly especially true of Eric Donkin, whose Duke is actually funny without being pedantic or hammy. The costumes and sets are beautiful and creative, and the orchestration, conducting and chorus are first rate. The staging is appropriately exuberant, and the performances are great. Some may find the casting of a man in the role of the Duchess odd, I did see that done to great effect in the Opera Australia production but convinced myself that was a unique one-off. That said, Douglas Chamberlain characterises splendidly and while not as effective vocally, the contralto demands are difficult enough for a woman and the tone is occasionally forced with Chamberlain. John Keane and Paul Massel(also better here than he was in Iolanthe) are appealing as Marco and Giuseppe, and Richard McMillan is the embodiment of a good man caught in a bad profession as Alhambra. In conclusion, so much better than I remembered. I am glad I gave another chance, though here's to hoping that Stratford's Mikado is also better than on first glance. 9/10 Bethany Cox