Trial by Jury
Venue 21 The Sanctuary Stage at Holy Trinity Anglican Church
3 Stars
Gilbert and Sullivan’s most successful operetta receives a 21st-century update in Pop Goes the Opera’s production of Trial by Jury.
This one-act operetta follows the trial of a young man who is sued by his girlfriend for jilting her. The lawsuit is based on breaking a “breach of promise for marriage” that in 1875 was on Britain’s legal books. In the original, the judge hears the case and decides to marry the young woman.
The scenario is completely ludicrous, but the characters behave as if their actions are perfectly reasonable. In fact, the composers created a satire that pokes fun at judges and the legal system for punishing people when both judges and jury have committed similar actions.
The update starts with Ken and Barbie dolls bickering. Within a few notes played by the live orchestra led by St. Albert’s Spencer Kryzanowksi, the entire cast, swathed in hot Barbie pink outfits, flood the stage. The female judge instructs the jury, and the legal arguments begin. Everything is performed in song. There are no spoken words.
The one-act is 45 minutes of actors singing non-stop and musicians playing a rich, breezy score. The two juries – male and female – in particular, provide a lush cascade of sound.
The one flat note in the production falls under casting a female as a judge in a role that was conceived for a male. In certain instances, gender flipping provides an added dimension. In this case, it dilutes and confuses the core message of the show. Is this a satire about law or is it championing inclusivity and diversity? You decide.
