The masters of operetta to be celebrated at village hall

The village hall will be filled with the humorous shows of Offenbach and Gilbert and Sullivan as the company presents Masters of Operetta: A Marriage by Lantern Light and Trial by Jury.

Opera on Location was formed in Sheffield in 2013 and performed the show Impresario in Blunham last year.

Company founder Kathryn Gasic said: “It’s great to be able to take a show to new places and get our name out there. We feel what we are doing is really special and we want to be able to share it with people from all over the country and not just in our home town.”

Co-founder Gareth Lloyd added: “ Last year was incredibly rewarding for us and we’re hoping that this year will be even better.”

Offenbach may not be as well known in the genre of operetta as some other composers, but Louise Pymer, the company’s resident director, has found his work a revelation. She said “I didn’t know what to expect when I was presented with this opera but after listening to the beautiful music and seeing the obvious and enormous scope for comedic potential, I knew we had to do it. Directing this show has been a true delight – we’ve had so much fun putting it together”.

Trial by Jury was only the second collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan but was a huge success and includes many of the staple features we have come to expect in a G&S production.

Ewan Gilford, Opera on Location’s musical director, said: “It is clear to see how, even in this very early G&S collaboration, the pair enjoyed poking fun at the aristocracy and even had their own versions of stock characters that we can see throughout all of their major hits. The Judge from Trial by Jury is so similar to the Major General from Pirates of Penzance or Sir Joseph Porter from HMS Pinafore. That’s what people loved about these shows when they were written and what we still love today.”

The show takes place on Thursday April 28 at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £12 or £10 and are available on the door or by calling 0113 469 3748.