Double delight in the heat of the night

Gay Bolton Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times

Want to conjure up a heatwave? Just stage HMS Pinafore in flaming June. Nearly 130 years ago Gilbert and Sullivan's new comic opera almost bombed because searing heat put off the audiences and those that did support it were unenthusiastic. Two centuries later. Mother Nature turns up the heat again but this time it's a much rosier picture for Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Despite scorching temperatures for the launch of the show in Bakewell's Medway Centre on Thursday, the enthusiasm of the cast swept over the spectators like a tidal wave. After nearly three hours under spotlights, the ladies' chorus in buttoned-up full-length dresses, wide-brimmed hats and woolly tights looked as fresh and fragrant as the first minute they stepped out as did bowler-hatted producer Nic Wilson trussed up in a tight three-piece suit.

This production saw Matlock G&S return to a more traditional approach to their chosen art, rather than the liberties they took with their two previous shows, The Mikado and Patience. But they didn't stick to the script rigidly. The setting was relocated from dockside to boating lake and Nic Wilson's hilarious portrayal of first lord of the admiralty Sir Joseph Porter set him up as a pompous Northerner with a touch the Irish. During one scene, Nic clambered onto a small stage which was a masterstroke in depicting his character as a testy little man with a big ego.

Magnificent Max Taylor has a voice that could launch a thousand ships and was the best able seaman Ralph Rackstraw I have seen to date. His stage presence was as commanding as his voice. Wendy Costigan's singing was a delight and her confidence grew as the show progressed, making her an eminently likeable and lovable Josephine, daughter of Captain Corcoran who was played with aplomb by Eric Morgan. Liz McKenzie, in her first contralto role, rose to the challenge of performing Buttercup's songs such as Sir, You Are Sad and A Many Years Ago. As well as putting her own stamp on the character with an uppercrust accent and slimline figure, Liz held the audience in the palm of her hand in the scene where Buttercup reveals her secret.

Staged as part of the Matlock Live festival, HMS Pinafore was part of a double-bill celebrating British patriotism. The opening show was a rarely performed little number called The Zoo on which composer Arthur Sullivan collaborated with writer Bolton Rowe. The Zoo is a strange tale of suicide attempts, gluttony and a master of disguise. It highlights England in a bygone era where afternoons were spent looking at animals in cages and taking afternoon tea, served by a glamorous maid in long black dress, white apron and hat. Vivienne Morgan gave a delightful performance as the refreshment stallholder, Eliza Smith.

Once again, Max Taylor took the honours as her high-bom suitor Thomas, as well as being responsible for the orchestral arrangements of the piece. Despite the signs for bears, racoons and elephants, there wasn't an animal in sight. From my vantage point at the side ot the back row. I thought the only danger lurked in the orchestra pit where the volume of the music came perilously close to drowning out the soloists. For the main production of HMS Pinafore I transferred to ground level and took a seat in the centre of the audience where the balance of singers and musicians sounded much better.