Not a review

Last night I went to see the Opera Australia production of Trial By Jury at the marvellous Sydney Opera House.

As we were standing in the forecourt during the interval (or "half time" as the Voice of Reason calls it, when "the crowd" goes out to get drinks -- don't worry, I'll pay him back at the football tomorrow by asking why the "audience" is booing the "conductors" as they leave the "stage") we were commenting with amazement that an innately conservative city like Sydney (in the middle of the 20th century) managed to select (and pay for) such a magnificent and iconic landmark as the Opera House... and I can't say that the current government, with its penchant for tunnels and exhaust stacks, would have such cojones.

Anyway, back to Trial By Jury: Gilbert and Sullivan at their most cynical and wicked and Opera Australia at its most lighthearted. I really liked David Hobson as the cheeky defendant (I must admit, I have been quite partial to him ever since I first saw him as Rodolfo in Baz Luhrmann's production of La Boheme. Sigh. My tiny hands are frozen...) And Anthony Warlow was great as the judge: as one nearby patron tautologised in my hearing: "If you didn't know it was him, you wouldn't know it was him"! I had to stifle a giggle at that.

The production brought back fond memories of the fun we had performing this operetta when I was at school -- I was one of the bridesmaids (although in the OA version there are no bridesmaids, just an all-female press gallery). Oh, and it was part of a double bill with HMS Pinafore, featuring largely the same cast, which was also great fun. So although this is not a review, I do recommend the production if you are in Sydney.