Search - Gilbert & Sullivan - Patience / Douglas, Olsen, Warlow, Australian Opera on DVD

Our Patience for a New G & S Production Has Been Rewarded

Robert Krejcik | NEW YORK, NY United States | 02/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike previous Australian Opera adaptations of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, this production
does not suffer from lyric substitution (that made obscure references even more obscure to non
Australian audiences).The sound is very good and the quality of singing is about the best I've heard recorded on DVD (so far).Unfortunately, there is no closed captioning or sub titles, so following along, for those unfamiliar with this score, can be a challenge. But everyone, including the chorus, enunciates quite well, so there shouldn't
be too much distress.I hope there is more coming from Sydney. It would be nice to have a complete set (as the BBC attempted about 15 years ago). (I wonder if they are forthcoming?).The quality of production was reminiscent of the D'Oyly Carte one that I caught (and carried in my memory)
in the early 1960's (at the NY City Center).This is a Must Buy for a true Savoyard!"

A Delight From Down-Under

Earl L. Langguth | Grass Valley, CA USA | 11/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It is fascinating to see an opera company turn their attention to Gilbert and Sullivan. Patience herself is clearly a first-rate singer, and the staging is done with particular care and zest. The choreograpy of the duets and ensembles is a delight to the eye as well as the ear. The one drawback to the performance (that keeps it from FIVE STARS) is the use in the recording of some kind of "sound suppression" filter. One of the "twenty lovesick maidens" plays a diminuitive pair of cymbals, and whenever she crashes them, the entire sound is suppressed for two or three seconds, until the sound system can recover. This is initially distracting, but is more apparent in the first act than in the second, and should not keep anyone from the superb staging and performance which is given. Bunthorne is played with superb skill by a wonderfully supple character-singer. The twenty minutes which close the second act are for this reviewer eye-and-ear-candy which I play again and again, to delight in the wonderful work of singers, director, and choreographer. Where can we get more of such productions?"

The Best!

A. Grossman | Florence, Oregon USA | 12/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best G and S on DVD. Everything is outstanding - acting, voices, costumes and sets. And Bunthorne and Lady Jane bring down the house whenever they are on. This is probably the hardest G and S to do today but everything is right!"

..."Patience" is over 120 years old, but she is still fun...

A. Grossman | 09/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"..chances are you like Gilbert and Sullivan, or you would not even be looking at this. "Patience" was G&S's offering for 1881,
and it was the first of their shows to be presented in the New
Savoy Theater--and the first to be lighted by electric light.
That said...it is also a lot of fun...and it is the only one of
their shows with a contemporary theme: the aesthetic movement of the late Victorian period. The Australian Opera has done a great
job. This production has lovely art nouveau sets and costumes,
and a cast that is charming and talented. The tempi move right
along...and there is even time for a couple of encores. Lady
Jane and Archibald were my favorite characters...but really,
the over all quality of the production was superb and everyone
contributes. If you already like Gilbert and Sullivan, this is
a delightful addition to your collection. If you are just getting started...you might prefer "Pirates of Penzance" or
"The Mikado". In for a penny, in for a pound, it's G&S that
make the world go round. This is most enjoyable."