Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne

This is one of the few DVDs of HMS Pinafore around and it's clearly the very best. All the cast are excellent. The direction by Stuart Maunder is witty, innovative, and both irrevert and respectful. When broad humour suits, he can bring it on but when something is more thoughtful, he's also very moving. For example, the singing of "For he is an Englishman" is done with the cast assebled on the ladders, all terribly formal and serious, as the characters take being English terribly seriously.

It's also a very tight production. There are no repeats of the hit songs, except when demanded by the score (such as the finales to each act) but ring the Bells of Merry fortune isn't repeated three times. Always good to leave you wanting more.

The cast are excellent. The standout of course is Anthony Warlow as the captain. But all the rest are fantastic. Collette Mann, a commedian, not a singer, does a great performance, full of perfect timing. Top marks for casting her. And she sings creditably too. The chorus sing great and act and dance wonderfully too.

The bonus is Trial by Jury, performed as part of the same night's production, with much of the same cast. See Anthony Warlow as the aged decrepite alcholic judge, and a good judge too.

A sound investment and a must buy for Pinafore fans.

It is irresponsible to get simple and basic facts wrong when describing products.

Initially, Trial by Jury was not the first collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan. The first was Thespis, a full length work. While the Music to Thespis was lost, its existence is well known.

Secondly, Pinafore was not their first full length satiric work. That would be Thespis. In addition to Thespis, Sorcerer also predates Pinafore. Was Pinafore a bigger hit? Absolutely, but Sorcerer ran for 175 performances and is still performed.

Basic facts.

First, Trial by Jury - this production is amazing. I've long had the CD but had never seen it performed before. It is much funnier than I'd anticipated, and all the roles were outstandingly sung and performed. In particular, David Hobson as the Defendant and Anthony Warlow as the Judge were very funny.

Pinafore, with the same cast, was also excellent - with one exception. The actress playing Buttercup croaks like a frog. Her voice actually broke in one passage. It's never good when you think to yourself, gee, *I* could sing better than that. Whoever chose to cast her needs their heads examined.

The rest of the cast, however, is outstanding. They sing beautifully and act convincingly. I particularly enjoyed Hobson's emphatic high notes in several songs, which seem to be an innovation - other Pinafore recordings I've heard do not have them. His voice is particularly fine in the upper range and he hits the notes with ease.

If you can ignore Buttercup, this is a wonderful production. If you can't, then either stop your ears or fast forward through her sections, and enjoy the rest.

If you want an evening of wonderful dialogue, music and singing You will not find anything better. The Sidney Opera Company has done a wonderful job of bringing Gilbert & Sullivan to DVD.

Two great Gilbert & Sullivan productions together on one DVD. This is a great package. Both are well performed, energetic and entertaining. Several of the cast appear in both performances, including Anthony Warlow and David Hobson.

Trail By Jury is brought forward to modern times. I am not generally in favour of this treatment of Gilbert & Sullivan, although I understand the need to make them as accessible as possible to new audiences. Fortunately, the transformation did not distract from the great performances on show. Anthony Warlow manages to maintain a Scottish accent even while singing in his most unique portrayal of the Learned Judge, while David Hobson brilliantly captures the arrogant attitude of the defendant, Edwin.

HMS Pinafore is one of the best productions of the show I have seen, very lively and polished. The one disappointment is Colette Mann as Little Buttercup. With all due respect to her acting ability, her vocals do not stand up in the midst of so many great voices. Perhaps she was included to attract a more contemporary audience.

Opera Australia have once again shown they are probably currently the world leaders in producing DVDs of live Gilbert & Sullivan shows. We can only hope for more to come.