Express G&S

Review by Erin.

Set on the G&S Express, this was a clever play that bought together all of the best Gilbert and Sullivan songs from their favourite comedy operas. 

Each song was performed by a different passenger on the train that had been called up by the detective to help solve the case of the murdered doily cart.

The three actors played many parts, with lots of quick changes, and I thought they did it very well, but I did find it hard to follow the storyline at times, as the thick french accent of the Poirot style detective was difficult to understand.

It was good to find out that the pianist was the person that had actually written the play, and I thought he played very well.  I really liked his poetic introduction at the start too.

There were lots of one-liner jokes, and a lot of tenuous links to bring in the different characters (when has the train from Penzance to London ever gone via China!), but overall it was a very clever concept.  I personally didn’t understand a lot of the jokes (as I didnt even know what Gilbert and Sullivan was until I arrived), but the older people in the audience seemed to find them very funny.

Overall, this was a fun play to watch and was a positive experience, but was very much aimed at an older audience.  It has made me want to find out more about Gilbert and Sullivan and maybe go to watch one some day.