The McGill Savoy Society has taken on Gilbert and Sullivan this February, mounting their interpretation of The Gondoliers. I don’t have a huge amount to say about it, because I’m simply not a big G&S fan. But they made this very visually appealing. The costuming was spectacular, very period (18th century Europe, I do believe) and perfectly ornate. Likewise, the set was a pleasure to look at – it was nicely painted, and it moved well. There was a change in the intermission, from a dock-side view to a castle view, and it worked perfectly with the flow of the play. Overall, it all felt very fancy shmancy.
However, I can’t really say that I was a big fan of the acting. The singing was, for the most part, quite solid, which was key in a musical. The acting, however, was wanting for more. I understand this is a musical, but the times that sat between songs really needed a better flow. There was a range of limited acting and serious overacting. I would not say that it was all bad by any means, but I feel there was clear work to be done.
Overall, it was indeed an enjoyable experience. The orchestra played very well, there was very slight tuning issues here and there, but if you don’t happen to have perfect pitch it really wasn’t noticeable. So yeah, I’m not a G&S fan, but this was a fine shot at The Gondoliers. Well done, Savoy Society, for making a hoity-toity operetta enjoyable.
-Matt
There “was” very slight grammar issues here and there, but then, I’m not a big fan of reviewers who admit wilful ignorance about their subject matter, so I guess this was a fine shot at something approaching a piece of cultural journalism.