GILBERT & SULLIVAN CREATE LAW AND DISORDER IN WILD ‘TRIAL’
Pop culture collides with stodgy British Jurisprudence in this year’s Victorian Lyric Opera Company entry in the Capital Fringe Festival this July, Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury.
A showboating judge, a rich playboy, a famous actress, and her Harvard lawyer face off in Britain’s first televised courtroom case in this modern take on the Gilbert & Sullivan classic, directed by Pete Oliver-Krueger. Joseph Sorge is Music Director.
Trial by Jury was first presented in 1875 and was an immediate success, pairing William S. Gilbert’s mockery of the convoluted British legal system – the trial is a suit for breach of promise — with Arthur Sullivan’s beautiful melodies. It has been performed regularly around the world ever since, including a number of stagings by VLOC. In fact, it was the very first G&S musical performed by VLOC when the company was founded in 1978. This time, though, VLOC promises a number of modern twists that will appeal to “fringey” audiences.
This will be VLOC’s third straight foray to the Fringe, following very successful stagings of two comedies by Gilbert, Engaged and Foggerty’s Fairy.
Now in its 25th year, The Victorian Lyric Opera Company was founded to perform musical works of the Victorian era. They have performed all but two of the Gilbert & Sullivan canon many times over. They have also branched out into other European operettas and even grand opera, Mozart’s The Magic Flute & Donezetti’s The Elixir of Love. The mission of the company has been and continues to be to provide high quality performances of light operatic works, providing educational and performance opportunities to our community. In 2011, The Victorian Lyric Opera Company merged with The Forgotten Opera Company.
VLOC membership is drawn from all over the Greater Washington Metropolitan area. We have performers of all ages in our company, and often will have multiple generations of the same family on stage at the same time.
Capital Fringe is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2005 with the purpose of connecting exploratory artists with adventurous audiences by creating outlets and spaces for creative, cutting-edge, and contemporary performance in the District. Capital Fringe’s vital programs ensure the growth and continued health of the local and regional performing arts community by helping artists become independent producers while stimulating the vibrant cultural landscape in our city.
One of the first products of the fabulously successful G&S pairing, Trial by Jury will by staged at The Mountain at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave., Washington, D.C.
- Jul 12th 7:00 PM
- Jul 13th 10:15 PM
- Jul 14th 5:45 PM
- Jul 17th 8:00 PM
- Jul 21st 12:15 PM
- Jul 27th 11:59 PM
To purchase tickets, click on the above performance date, or go to our Fringe home page, or call (866) 811-4111.
