This is an excellent production. Certainly it gets a bit smutty at times, but it is really well done. I found the singing excellent, and the innovative use of characters was inspired.WS Gilbert hinted that Grossmith was gay according to some writers and this is exploited to the full with the part that he played many years ago - that of Sir Joseph Porter. Dick Deadeye (Jon English)is given a prominent role and he links the character parts together exceptionally well. I loved the sisters, cousins and the aunts - Andrea Gallaher,Mellissa Langton, and Marissa Craig. Little Buttercup (Rima Te Wiata) sang in Calypso style and was superb. Simon Gallaher(handsome) and Helen Donaldson(beautiful) played the main parts of Ralph and Josephine and both had fine voices. I found no weak links in the parts played by the other players. As a bonus there was a selection of songs from other operas by G & S and who cares if they were out of place - they were beautiful melodies in their own right. If you belong to the D'oyley Carte camp then you will hate this show, but hey! I don't like DC productions at all. This is fun by today's standards - 'Of that there is no shadow doubt'
