The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan is the latest production at the Nottingham Arts Theatre. Described as one of the happiest shows ever written the company decided to give the comic opera a more modern appearance and set it in the 1940s. When the curtains were opened the set, with its clever lighting, immediately made you feel that you were in a square in Venice on a balmy summer evening. The colourful red and white stripped awnings over the bandstand and café, ladies seated at the tables in their pretty summer dresses sipping their drinks made a very cheerful start to the proceedings. Well cast as waitress, Gianette, Yvonne Gerrard’s powerful voice and vitality never faltered and she interacted beautifully with her gondolier lover Marco, well sung and acted by Colin Reed. Guiseppe was played by Phil Birkett. His singing was excellent but I felt that he overacted. He had so much blusher on his cheeks, and with his odd facial expressions and frenetic waving of his arms he resembled a clown. Maybe he was directed to act in this way but it did appear to be over the top. One of the funniest moments was the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro with their daughter Casilda. Having had a rough voyage the trio sang averring they would never go to sea again. It was amazing how they managed to get all their words in whilst singing at such speed.
It was refreshing to be able to see the orchestra with their instruments on the stage instead of being ‘hidden in the pit’. There were some talented singers and musicians among the performers but there were times when the band seemed a little too loud which made it difficult to hear some of the words. All in all a pleasant evening. 3.5/5 | 
