'I saw a tart...' - the G&S appreciation thread.

[MissMarjoribanks]

Oooh, where to start. Done them all apart from Patience, Grand Duke and Thespis.

Yeoman - musically divine. Walked up the aisle to the overture.
Iolanthe - gatecrashing the male chorus was without a doubt, the most fun I have ever had on stage.
HMS Pinafore - short, snappy, not a dull number.
Gondoliers - found out I was pregnant on the opening night.

It's been the soundtrack to the last ten years, really.

I have never sung in them as I am not a singer. But I used to be the accompanist for rehearsals for years as a teenager, and then wit G&S society at university, and played viola in the pit!

I can't imagine a time when I didn't know them really! My Dad was always in them when I was a child.

May I ask, very quietly, which university it was?

I've fixed the band on a couple of occasions - far more stressful than being on stage.

I played for one of the shades of blue...
A long long time ago. In fact the ink was barely dry off the overtures...

Lordy no, you'd never catch me on stage! But my whole famaily used to be involved in one way or another.

And DH is totally up on it all as well - it gives you a whole language of references which few other people seem to get.

Walking up the aisle to Yeomen is pretty hard core though! Even if it is the English equivalent to the Mastersingers overture (IMO)