The Eastbourne Gilbert and Sullivan Society will be performing at the Bandstand this year maybe for the final time and you G & S fans are in for a rare treat. You will be seeing the Society members as you have never seen them before. They will be performing “Trial by Jury” in its entirety plus other G & S pieces. The Society’s first performance will be on the Monday 6th August and their last performance will be the following Monday 13th August 2018.
Trial by Jury was first performed on the 25th March 1875 at London’s Royal Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical acclaim. The story concerns a ‘breach of promise of marriage’ lawsuit in which judge and legal system are the objects of light hearted satire. Gilbert based the libretto of Trial by Jury on an operetta parody that he had written in 1868. The opera premiered more than three years after Gilbert and Sullivan’s only previous collaboration, Thespis, an 1871 – 72 Christmas season entertainment.
As with most Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the plot of Trial by Jury is ludicrous, but the characters behave as if the events were perfectly reasonable. This narrative technique blunts some of the pointed barbs aimed at hypocrisy, especially of those in authority, and the sometimes base motives of supposedly respectable people and institutions. These themes became favourites of Gilbert through the rest of his collaborations with Sullivan. Critics and audiences praised how well Sullivan’s witty and good-humoured music complemented Gilbert’s satire. The success of Trial by Jury launched the famous series of 13 collaborative works between Gilbert and Sullivan that came to be known as the Savoy Operas.
After its original production in 1875, Trial by Jury toured widely in Britain and elsewhere and was frequently revived and recorded. It also became popular as a part of charity benefits. The work continues to be frequently played, especially as a companion piece to other short Gilbert and Sullivan operas or other works. According to pundits it is probably the most successful British one-act operetta of all time.
It will be a sad moment for the Society if after thirty one years performing at the historic Bandstand they have to say goodbye. Of course it might have been a different story had the Council deemed to include the Eastbourne Gilbert and Sullivan Society in its publicity. Having seen last years publicity poster produced by the Council the printer’s type was so small and dark it was difficult to know who was performing.
