Reflecting the passionate G&S culture that has flourished across Britain and much of the former British Commonwealth for over a century, Opera Australia’s (OA) Gilbert & Sullivan: A Musical Celebration made an entertaining tribute to the duo with a broad, neatly curated program, opening Friday evening at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.
But first of all, three cheers for OA CEO Alex Budd, whose fab introduction in the program might very well have gone unnoticed. Written in witty W. S. Gilbert style, it could easily have been sung to Sullivan’s music of I am the very model of a modern Major-General as a jolly welcome to the celebration.
Instead, the evening got underway with the gradual shifts of ambience exhibited in the Overture from Iolanthe, from the pensive and tender to a pastoral frolic and final regal splendour.
Thereon, across more than two-and-half-hours and two acts, much musical territory was covered and conquered, centring around eight of the generally more frequently performed works of their canon of 14 operas.
Of course, the razor-sharp text and comic ingenuity belonged to W. S. Gilbert. Bringing them to life in music of luminous sophistication was Arthur Sullivan, whose scores reveal rays of Handelian grandeur, Mozartian elegance and intrigue, Rossinian patter and Mendelssohnian lyric romanticism.
English conductor Chad Kelly steered the program with enthusiasm and care, building mood and colour with a lush orchestral palette while keeping tempi clean and controlled as Orchestra Victoria shone in their own right on the grand stage. The appreciation and respect shown for what is one of the city’s great cultural assets was indeed special.
Joining them on stage, eight accomplished soloists, whose love for and experience with G&S was evident in richly characterised singing, in tandem with unabashedly fluid physical movement, created an evening of uplifting music tempered by moments of affecting beauty.
The definite surprise was the sheer amount of meticulously arranged and executed choreography. Directed by G&S diehard and current Artistic Director of Victorian Opera, Stuart Maunder AM – who recently gave the city a shining production of The Pirates of Penzance – number after number was delivered with a good measure of showbiz direction that evoked the flavour of Broadway.
That sense also seemed supported by glamorous three-quarter length satin frocks and stylish tuxedos suggestive of mid-century styling. Yet the surroundings pointed elsewhere – a Victorian salon furnished with a chaise longue on one side, a carved table and chairs on the other, and the iconic drop curtain from Elijah Moshinsky’s classic La Traviata production hanging at the rear – itself a leftover from the recently staged 70th Anniversary Gala. Handsomely decorated aside, the combination all felt somewhat incongruous and, if I’m being finicky, rather counterproductive.
Nevertheless, following a minor microphone mishap from the maestro that briefly drew attention to the amplified nature of the music and vocals, a pleasing touch were the titbits relating to Gilbert and Sullivan’s life and work each soloist, in turn, shared alongside many wonderful performances.
From bass-baritone Ben Mingay, sopranos Antoinette Halloran, Cathy-Di Zhang and Danielle Bavli, tenors Alexander Lewis and John Longmuir, mezzo-soprano Ruth Strutt, and baritone Leon Vitogiannis, the result was a marvellous ensemble effort.
Mingay and Halloran who starred as The Pirate King and Ruth respectively in VO’s recent Pirates showed just how much they are musical treasures of the stage, though throughout the evening they were equally matched by their colleagues in talent and commitment.
Among several highlights from The Gondoliers, Longmuir, Vitogiannis, Strutt and Zhang brought buoyancy and Mediterranean sparkle to From the Sunny Spanish Shore, while Longmuir and Vitogiannis relished the swaggering good humour of We’re Called Gondolieri, with boundless panache in their step.
From The Mikado, Halloran, Bavli and Strutt delighted in Three Little Maids from School Are We, complete with an elegant lipstick-pink costume change that had risqué written all over it. Zhang, meanwhile, sang Yum-Yum’s The Sun, Whose Rays Are All Ablaze with radiant tone and poised lyricism, one of the evening’s loveliest moments.
Halloran also brought brilliance and charm to The Lost Chord, a parlour song by Sullivan, enhanced by the unexpected and atmospheric addition of the a Wurlitzer organ, which had sat temptingly at the side of the stage for most of the evening.
Lewis dispatched I am the very model of a modern Major-General with admirable patter precision and verbal dexterity. Elsewhere, the rousing When a foeman bares his steel from The Pirates of Penzance, led by Mingay as the blustering Sergeant of Police generated infectious energy and comic verve. Mingay also warmed the presence of patrons seated at tables in front of the stage in ways emblematic of the spirit that animated the entire evening.
Delightful excepts from less performed works Ruddigore, The Yeoman of the Guard and Utopia Limited also featured. And though there was no chorus as such, the balance and camaraderie of the eight singers worked splendidly throughout.
In all, Opera Australia’s celebration proved not merely an affectionate nostalgia trip, but a persuasive reminder of the craftsmanship, wit and musical pleasure that have ensured these operas remain cherished more than a century after their creation.
Gilbert & Sullivan: A Musical Celebration
Regent Theatre, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne
Performance: Friday 22 May 2026
Season: 22 – 24 May 2026
Information: www.opera.org.au
Images: The Cast of Opera Australia’s Gilbert & Sullivan: A Musical Celebration (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Ben Mingay, Alexander Lewis and Leon Vitogiannis in Opera Australia’s Gilbert & Sullivan: A Musical Celebration (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Alexander Lewis, Cathy-Di Zhang and Ben Mingay in Opera Australia’s Gilbert & Sullivan: A Musical Celebration (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Ruth Strutt, Danielle Bavli and Antoinette Halloran in Opera Australia’s Gilbert & Sullivan: A Musical Celebration (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Antoinette Halloran in Opera Australia’s Gilbert & Sullivan: A Musical Celebration (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby
Review: Paul Selar