After the success of last year’s Pinafore, the Society continues in a watery vein with one of the pairing’s last works. The Gondoliers or King of Barataria was penned in 1889, in a spirit of reconciliation between the artistic twosome - only for them to fall out during the mammoth 554-performance run, over the cost of a carpet. Indeed, the show proved so popular Queen Victoria requested her own private performance at Windsor Castle. She may have been shifting a little uneasily upon her throne, though, as Marcus and Guiseppe, the two gondoliers, are of a rather republican bent. When they discover that either one of them might be the King of Barataria, they decide to rule jointly and insist that under the new regime “all shall equal be”. The two fresh-faced monarchs polish, scrub and clean while the servants live it up. Regal arrival Meanwhile, another party with regal pretensions arrives in Venice. A Duke and Duchess seek the counsel of the rather imposing and slightly sinister Grand Inquisitor of Spain, in a quest to find their beautiful daughter’s betrothed. The witty plot unravels in a typically topsy-turvy G and S fashion, spanning some of the best songs their light operettas have to offer. Marco’s “Take a pair of sparkling eyes” is sound advice for any wooing man while the infectious “Dance a Cachucha” is a fast-paced jig not to be missed. Keep an eye open for G and S veteran Tony Turner as the Grand Inquisitor, recently nominated for a coveted Rose Bowl award for his performance as Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore, and the honey-tongued Eloise Adams who pairs up with Anna Hunt to play the love interests of those egalitarian Gondoliers. The show takes place at Clifton's Redgrave Theatre from 4- 8 April at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. To book tickets ring 0117 9607983. And fans of Gilbert and Sullivan can also catch some light operatic fun with the Bristol Catholic Players who present Yeomen of the Guard at the Newman Hall, Westbury-on-Trym from 12-20 May, with a matinee on Sunday 14 May. | 
