Charles Court Opera are hitting the high notes coming out of lockdown with the London premiere of Express G&S and a UK tour of its acclaimed production of Iolanthe.
Express G&S will now play the newly configured, socially distanced Pleasance Theatre from Wednesday 23 June – Friday 2 July, 2021.
The masters of G&S in small spaces present this brand new, side-splitting spoof of the classic railway mystery. A trio of intriguing travellers (and a pianist) take on multiple characters, uncover clue upon red herring, while ripping through the G&S operettas with a cake soaked butter knife, all aboard the G&S Express.
Get ready to be swept away on this Topsy-turvy journey – from Penzance to Titipu, from Venice to the Tower of London, from Portsmouth to Fairyland – in a brand new story packed with references from every single G&S operetta. This highly inventive, witty murder mystery spoof is splattered with favourite songs from the Savoy operas including ‘The Pirates of Penzance’, ‘The Mikado’ and ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’, as well as from those less performed, such as ‘The Sorcerer,’ ‘Princess Ida’ and ‘Utopia Ltd’. All aboard the G&S Express – destination: Murder!
Express G&S cast: Matthew Kellett, Catrine Kirkman and Philip Lee.
Express G&S also plays The Roman Theatre Open Air Festival, St Albans (31 May, 2021), Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (26 June), Lichfield Festival (11 July), Hever Festival at Hever Castle (9 August), The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival at Royal Hall, Harrogate (12 & 17 August), City Varieties, Leeds (29th September), Key Theatre, Peterborough (15 September).
Iolanthe will open at The Roman Theatre Open Air Festival, St Albans on Sunday 30 May, 2021 and will tour to Villages Music Festival, Sussex (19 June), Hever Festival at Hever Castle (29 July), The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival at Buxton Opera House (7 August), The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival at Royal Hall, Harrogate (11 August).
CCO’s Artistic Director, John Savournin, said “Inspired by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, ‘Express G&S’ aims to appeal to not only Gilbert and Sullivan fans, but also to introduce their work to a new and wider audience, while having an absolute ball along the way. We are delighted to have rescheduled the performances, though it’s a shame to miss opening on Gilbert’s birthday, which is 18th November.”
