Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury is a satire of the British legal system. It is a fun little farce, an appertif only 45 minutes long that was their first major hit. Plaintiff brings a suit against the Defendant for a “breach of promise of marriage.” Resolution of the conflict comes from a surprising source, as creative as the verdict of Solomon, who proposed that the biblical baby be split in two.
The leading characters are played by Courtney Kalbacker (plaintiff), David Merrill (cad), and Blair Eig (judge). Other notables were Rand Huntzinger (Foreman of the Jury), Denise Young (Counsel for the Plaintiff, Producer and Costume Designer) and Gary Sullivan (Deendant’s Solicitor).
Everyone did a great job of both their musical parts and physical comedy. The adaptation to modern garb and especially the incorporation of cell phones and the multitude of hand held microphones was more distracting than perhaps intended, but it gave the overqualified secondary players a little bit more business.
It’s always a punny time at a Gilbert and Sullivan production so take the kids and grand kids and have a ball!
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