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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 23, 2025
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Joseph Holt is artistic director of Choral Artists.
Image courtesy of Danny Bristoll
The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players bring “H.M.S. Pinafore” to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Monday, Jan. 27.
IT’S I TOPSY-
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
TURVY
TIME
Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas continue to delight audiences 150 years after their creation.
f this were the TV game show “Jeopardy,” the clue would be: “This expression describes the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan.” “What is topsy-turvy?” It’s safe to say many Sarasota arts patrons would bank some cash on this question if they were a contestant on “Jeopardy” or nod furiously if they were watching at home. As two upcoming performances — one by Choral Artists of Sarasota and another by the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Society — demonstrate, this is topsy-turvy country. Nearly 150 years after they were first performed, Gilbert and Sullivan’s satirical operettas still resonate with audiences. In the world of Gilbert and Sullivan, up is down and vice versa, and conventions are upended. Absurdity reigns. Sometimes the team drew inspiration from real-life situations. Sir Joseph Porter in “H.M.S. Pinafore” was said to have been inspired by the politically connected English bookseller W.H. Smith, who was named Great Britain’s First Lord of the Admiralty in 1877 even though he’d never been to sea.
Image courtesy of BANKS
Choral Artists will perform a Gilbert and Sullivan revue on Jan. 26, at First United Methodist Church.
IF YOU GO
CHORAL ARTISTS’ GILBERT AND SULLIVAN REVUE When: 4 p.m. Jan. 26 Where: First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave. Ticket: $5-$40. Info: Visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org. ‘H.M.S. PINAFORE’ BY THE NEW YORK GILBERT & SULLIVAN SOCIETY When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27 Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail. Tickets: $40-$80. Info: Visit VanWezel.org.
On Sunday, Jan. 26, Choral Artists of Sarasota will perform a Gilbert and Sullivan Revue at First United Methodist Church. The next day, the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Society will perform “H.M.S. Pinafore” at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The Choral Artists’ performance will be conducted by the group’s artistic director, Joseph Holt, and will feature guest appearances by Luxe Consort members. Going to a Gilbert and Sullivan show is like visiting a new city: It’s helpful to know a little bit about what you’ll be seeing, but the amount of research depends on the visitor. With that in mind, it’s worth noting that British director Mike Leigh’s 1999 film “Topsy-Turvy” is available for streaming online. It’s a good introduction to the relationship of W.S. Gilbert, a dramatist, and Arthur Sullivan, a composer, who jointly wrote 14 comic operas between 1871 and 1896. Their works, which include “Pinafore,” “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado,” were so successful that their producer, Richard D’Oyly Carte, built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to house their productions. For a modern-day equivalent of Gilbert and Sullivan, think of such superstar theatrical collaborators
Lori Sax
A former opera singer and professor, Joy McIntyre will narrate Choral Artists’ Gilbert and Sullivan Revue on Jan. 26.
as Rodgers and Hammerstein (“The Sound of Music,” “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma”) and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Evita”). AN OPERA EXPERT NARRATES THE CHORAL ARTISTS SHOW
Retired opera singer and professor Joy McIntyre is going to be the narrator at the Choral Artists Gilbert and Sullivan Revue. McIntyre, who lectures on opera and music in programs organized by Sarasota Music Archive, is a treasure trove of knowledge. We decided to pick her brain about Gilbert and Sullivan. Asked why G&S musicals are still performed 150 years after they were written, McIntyre notes the songs stick in your head. As an example, she cites the song, “I’ve Got a Little List” from “The Mikado.” He’s got ’em on the list — he’s got ’em on the list And they’ll none of ’em be missed — they’ll none of ’em be missed “You have these catchy little tunes that people can leave the theater singing,” McIntyre says. Unlike their 20th-century counterparts, Gilbert and Sullivan couldn’t use radio, TV and film to bring their works to the masses. They occasionally turn up in modern mass media, including a 1983 film of “Pirates” starring Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt, as well as cameos in the Indiana Jones film franchise. SEE TOPSY PAGE 2