The Gilbert and Sullivan Players present two short comic operettas, Trail by Jury and The Sorcerer at the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center Feb. 8 and 9, 8 p.m., and Feb. 10, at 2 p.m.
TARPON SPRINGS - The Gilbert and Sullivan Players present two short comic operettas, Trail by Jury and The Sorcerer at the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center Feb. 8 and 9, 8 p.m., and Feb. 10, at 2 p.m.
These performances are a part of The Gilbert and Sullivan Project, a presentation of all the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, in chronological order, over a 12 year period by this intrepid theater group.
The Gilbert and Sullivan Players, led by director Jamie Bierchen and music director Constantine Grame, is a community-based theater group that has performed in the Tampa Bay Area for more than 25 years. The company performs using reproductions of rare original performance materials, allowing both performers and audience members to experience this unique body of works exactly as its authors envisioned them.
Certain performances feature pre-performance talks and Q&A sessions with Bierchen and Grame to shed further light on Gilbert and Sullivan, the time in which they lived, and the many ways in which their work influenced both music and theatre in the 20th century and beyond. The Gilbert and Sullivan Players hopes that this chronological series will bring new audiences to these delightful and entertaining pieces, as well as allowing aficionados to experience them in the order in which they were written.
The one-act Trial by Jury is the second of the 14 operettas written in 1875 by Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert, and is traditionally presented with the, The Sorcerer (1877), a two-act, short operetta written third by the duo. Trial by Jury concerns a “breach of promise of marriage” lawsuit, poking fun at the judge and legal system. The judge in this production is played by Bruce Taylor, an attorney in real life. Some have jokingly subtitled it: “He’s Just Not That Into You.” The Sorcerer (or “She’s Out of My League”) portrays one man’s obsession with the ideal that love levels all ranks.
Trial by Jury was one of the many Gilbert and Sullivan successes. Only 40 minutes in length, it is a perfect union of tuneful music and clever words, it serves as a charming curtain raiser for many shows. Traditionally paired with The Sorcerer, another short work, which satirizes early Victorian customs and various theatre devices. The story revolves around the village sorcerer who distributes a love potion to everyone that causes each person to fall in love with the very first person he or she meets. Naturally, the consequences are not what was intended.
Complimentary opening night reception for ticket holders hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, Artist Faire Gallery, 111 E. Tarpon Avenue. 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $18, $15 for members and students. Call the box office 727-942-5605 or order online at TarponArts.org.
Principal cast: Trial by Jury The Learned Judge: Bruce Taylor The Plaintiff: Brianna Filippelli The Defendant: Tom Workman Counsel for the Plaintiff: Dale Laird Usher: Joe Conboy Foreman of the Jury: Bruce Miller Principal cast: The Sorcerer
Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre: Dale Laird Alexis: Tom Workman Dr. Daly: Joe Conboy Notary: Bruce Taylor John Wellington Wells: Jamie Bierchen Lady Sangazure: Susan Demers Mrs. Parlet: Alicia Jiracek Constance: Madison Kosloski Aline: Lauren Grame
Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center is at 324 Pine St., Tarpon Springs FL 34689.
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