A celebration of Gilbert & Sullivan in Mid-Sussex

Under the title Here’s a Howdy-do! they will be singing songs connected with the themes of lovers, rivals and disguises.

Lawrence was due to come to perform for the society before the pandemic – and is delighted to catch up now, particularly as this is very much his home area.

“I live in London now but I grew up in Haywards Heath, in Wivelsfield Green, and I have known people from the G&S Mid Sussex for a long time. We were invited to give a concert before the pandemic so we are well overdue! It's very nice to be back. I've invited a couple of friends of mine to perform with me which is lovely. It's very nice to have that rapport.

“We didn't actually get as far as preparing the concert before Covid. It is something that we have been starting to prepare this year. Myself and Eleanor have performed a lot of G&S on stage, individually and together, and we are very much wanting to reflect that. We work together in OperaUpClose, all three of us.

“I have always loved their music. I think Sullivan in particular wrote exquisite music, We're going to be performing some rarities by Sullivan and not by Gilbert. Sullivan without Gilbert wrote some very beautiful things, but there will also be a range of G&S, Pinafore, Gondoliers, Mikado. And they are just so funny. It is the full range. It has physical humour but it also has heartbreak. It is great fun to do. We are wanting to show the romance but also the chaos in the plots. The parts are quite complicated, and usually with soprano and tenor you are the romantic leads but we want to show a lot of the intrigue and the disguise alongside that, alongside some of the rarities.

“I think there are companies in and around London that tour and that have worked on producing top-class G&S that would really challenge people’s perceptions, that are really quite innovative and work hard to present works to a younger audience while also maintaining the traditions. And I think in that sense that the two will carry on and not die out.

“I come from a theatrical family, non-professional, but my mother and father were both local performers. We would perform as a whole family and the first production I ever did as a tenor was The Gondoliers in the early 2000s when I think I was about 18. That was for Haywards Heath Operatic Society and they were fantastic. I just think the whole thing stems from there for me and it is lovely to be able to come back and perform.”

The concert takes place at the Adastra Hall in Hassocks, BN6 8QH, and the box office is now open.

Ticket prices (inclusive of interval refreshments) are £8 for Society members and £14 for non-members and Facebook guests. Buy your tickets by bank transfer to the account of: G & S Today, Lloyds Bank, sort code 30-99-50, account number 20254460. The bank will ask for a reference. Use your surname followed by Lawrence as a form of reference and also email [email protected] so that the society can look out for the payment. Safe receipt of payment will be acknowledged. Although bank transfers are the preferred option, cheques are still acceptable and should be made payable to G&S Today and posted to G&S Society of Sussex, 6 Longhurst, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 0TG.