Review: The Gondoliers

He changed two words of Gilbert's libretto, substituting 'celebrity magazines' for 'illustrated papers'.

This was certainly G & S for the purist and largely the Lewes society got things absolutely right. Ian Hollamby was outstanding as Don Alhambra; he oozed a sinister presence and as a result could act subtly, rarely needing to resort to stylised gestures. My only slight criticism is that he might have insisted on quicker tempi from musical director Geoffrey Spinks.

Alison King (Tessa) showed masses of stagecraft; she lit up the piece with the quality of her acting and injected imagination into her movement and business. Sadly the same could not be said of the Duke (Roger Ordish) and Duchess (Jane Larsen) who on the first night did little more than go through the motions '“ and during their Act II duet became so confused that they made an impromptu exit and had to be addressed by the gondoliers while they were in the wings.

Christopher Peck showed a deft touch with the choreography; a dance routine involving boating poles was inspired and proved the most innovative part of the evening. 'In a Contemplative Fashion' was another highlight, the part-singing between Frank Jordan (Marco), Neil Horstcraft (Giuseppe) and King's companion Gianetta (played by Sarah Hall) being a sustained joy.

There was a pre-production media buzz about the fact that Lee Reynolds (Luiz) had broken his leg but was soldiering on. Reynolds sung beautifully and was one of the strongest members of the cast but apart from a single piece of comedy when he entered with Casilda (Vicky Funnell), no references were made to his handicap when it could have been the source of a successful running gag all night.

This production was stuffed with good things by way of performances and musicianship but I wish its director could have lightened up a little and had some fun with the piece.

Jeremy Malies