Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne
List Price:
Our Price: $16.48
You Save: $13.47 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Gilbert & Sullivan, Greene, Hobson, Opera Australia, WarlowBrand: Kultur
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 130 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-06-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Kultur Video
DVD Reviews of Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne
DVD Review: Good--but it could and should have been much better
Summary: 4 Stars
SOURCE:
Live 2005 performances recorded at The State Theatre, The Arts Centre, Melbourne. From a remark by an earlier Amazon reviewer, I gather that the DVD version offered was assembled from portions of three separate performances. I have yet to spot any obvious joins.
SOUND:
Barely adequate stereo. The soloists are plainly wearing microphones on headsets throughout the performance. Their voices register very clearly, in fact, too clearly where Colette Mann is concerned. By comparison, the chorus registers poorly in many places. In "Trial by Jury," the women's chorus is particularly hard to pick out, almost disappearing from time to time. The wonderfully concerted "A Nice Dilemma" becomes, in effect, an ensemble of soloists. The orchestra comes through acceptably, but without any particular brilliance.
CASTS:
HMS PINAFORE
The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B, a very non-nautical First Lord of the Admiralty - John Bolton Wood (baritone)
Captain Corcoran - Anthony Warlow (baritone)
Ralph Rackstraw, Able Seaman - David Hobson (tenor)
Dick Deadeye, Able Seaman - Richard Alexander (bass)
Bill Bobstay, Boatswain's Mate - Andrew Jones (baritone)
Bob Becket, Carpenter's Mate - Unidentified (bass)
Josephine, the Captain's daughter - Tiffany Speight (soprano)
Hebe, Sir Joseph's First Cousin - Roxane Hislop (mezzo-soprano)
Little Buttercup, a bumboat woman - Colette Mann (fingernails scratching across a blackboard).
TRIAL BY JURY
The Learned Judge - Anthony Warlow
The Plaintiff - Ali McGregor (soprano)
The Defendent - David Hobson
Counsel for the Plaintiff - John Bolton Wood
Usher - Richard Alexander
Foreman of the Jury - Andrew Jones.
DIRECTION:
STAGE
Traditional and straightforward, although the Captain is subjected to an unconscionable amount of buffeting from the sailors.
VIDEO
Atrocious. Jerky, skittish, full of unnecessary motion and subject to annoying cuts to the orchestra and reverse shots of the audience from the stage.
CONDUCTOR:
Andrew Greene with the Orchestra Victoria and Melbourne Chorus.
SETS:
HMS PINAFORE
Initially a locker room within the ship which transforms into the stern of the ship for Buttercup's entrance. After that it becomes a deck of the ship with multiple performing levels on the superstructure. HMS Pinafore is now a pre-Dreadnaught battleship of the type which became wholly obsolete just before World War I.
TRIAL BY JURY
Very traditional appearing, wood-paneled, English court room. Jury box on stage left. Spectators on right. A sort of cage from which the Defendant testifies at center, just in front of the judge's bench.
COSTUMES:
HMS PINAFORE
The Captain, Josephine, Sir Joseph, Hebe and the women's chorus are in the fashion of 1911-1912. The other ranks sailors are left back in the 1870s and look rather anachronistic.
TRIAL BY JURY
Contemporary business attire.
COMMENTARY:
This DVD pairing of "HMS Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor," with the much shorter "Trial by Jury" has much to recommend it, as well as some truly annoying missteps.
The best thing, by far, is the presence of Anthony Warlow as Captain Corcoran of the Pinafore and later as the Learned Judge in "Trial." In the Australian musical theater, when it comes to Broadway musicals, "Les Miserables" or the current "Phantom of the Opera," Warlow is the go-to guy. As Captain Corcoran he displays a fine, light baritone voice supported by a technique so sound that for all appearances he can ignore it while he concentrates on providing a performance. In "Trial," on the other hand, he looks and sounds three decades older, singing with an old man's quavering voice, filtering everything through a very respectable Scottish accent. Why he felt it necessary to go through all that bother, I can't say, but having decided to do so, he does it extremely well. Not only can the man act and sing, he also moves with the sure-footed physicality of a Gene Kelly or Cary Grant.
The worst thing, by far, is the presence of Colette Mann as Little Buttercup. She does not appear in "Trial," a happy deliverance for which we can gratefully thank a benevolent providence. I might say that she is unattractive, unpleasant, untalented, off-putting and distasteful--but she isn't really that good. She is an something between and anchor and an albatross weighing down the production. To get some idea of her, imagine Cyndi Lauper singing Isolde--except that Mann isn't half as good as Cyndi.
The other members of the "Pinafore" cast are OK, but they could be better.
--John Bolton Wood offers a traditional, not especially memorable version of Sir Joseph.
--Richard Alexander misses the character of Dick Deadeye completely, reducing him to a mere naysayer with no special physical attributes except an odd taste in hats.
--Andrew Jones, in a small part, has an extraordinarily fine baritone voice but he (or the director) does nothing with the character, leaving him a mere cipher.
--Much has been made of David Hobson as Australia's leading tenor. He sings very nicely. But there is little or no warmth in the man. He looks and moves well enough, but he hardly interacts with others, seldom making eye contact, even with Josephine. The exact opposite of Warlow, he seems more intent on vocal technique than on the meaning of his words.
--Tiffany Speight also sings extremely well, but her Josephine is not a degree warmer than Hobson's Ralph.
An icy pair of lovers, an unmemorable lead comedian, a pallid villain and an atrocious Buttercup--small wonder that this "Pinafore" seems of, for and about Captain Corcoran. And even that is undermined by the conductor, who treats everything as up-tempo. His headlong pace simply mangles the Captain's "Fair Moon, to Thee I Sing"--a real pity, considering the quality of the singer.
In "Trial by Jury," the lackluster Wood and Alexander of Pinafore suddenly come to life to look and sound like real stars. Jones remains as impressively good, but he is still trapped in a tiny part. Ali McGregor, as the Plaintiff, is an even colder performer than Speight. Hobson's Defendant is a complete and charmless bounder. True to form, the conductor takes every single number too fast, here especially trampling on "Comes the Broken Flower."
Four stars (which would have dropped to one star if Colette Mann had uttered one more syllable), primarily for the rare appearance of "Trial by Jury" on DVD.
LEC/AM/09-08
More Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6
Description of Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne
For most of the 20th century, the D?Oyly Carte Opera performed HMS Pinafore with a companion piece, Trial by Jury. Opera Australia re-unites these long-standing stage-mates with two fresh productions and an inspired cast. While HMS Pinafore was Gilbert and Sullivan?s first full-length satirical work and first major international success, Trial by Jury was their first collaboration - the show's outrageous antics made it the toast of London.In this filmed recording, Anthony Warlow, Australia?s musical theatre superstar, is at the helm as both the "right good captain" and the "good judge" too. He is joined by a stellar cast featuring David Hobson, John Bolton Wood and Colette Mann as "dear little Buttercup".
Featuring: Anthony Warlow, David Hobson, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia Melbourne Chorus, Orchestra Victoria.
Classical Music CDs
Bestsellers in Classical Music CDs
Winterscapesby London Philharmonic
Prophetic Voice; Published: 2000-07; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.74
Price in other shops:
The Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebeeby Dini Petty
Children's Group; Published: 2001-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.40
Price in other shops:
Classical Kids - Beethoven Lives Upstairs CdrRelease date: 2000-04-05; Music CD
Best price: $25.98
Tchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos))by Malcolm Sinclair, Jeremy Siepmann
Naxos; Published: 2003-11; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $35.99
![Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS] Image](/images/Jose-Carreras-Jubileum-Concert-VHS-1584481471-X.jpg){kind=small}
Jose Carreras - Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS]Sling Shot; Release date: 2000-04-18; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $5.87
Price in other shops:
![Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS] Image](/images/Tchaikovsky-The-Nutcracker-Nureyev-Park-Royal-Ballet-VHS-156127092X-X.jpg){kind=small}
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-09-09; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.94
Price in other shops:
![Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS] Image](/images/Lonely-Town-Lonley-Street-Sergeant-Early-Dream-VHS-1561270857-X.jpg){kind=small}
Rambert Dance Company - Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-10-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $24.99
Price in other shops:
Winter Music: Composing the Northby John Luther Adams
Wesleyan; Published: 2004-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.74
Price in other shops:
![Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] Image](/images/Puccini-La-Fanciulla-del-West-Santi-Domingo-Neblett-Royal-Opera-Covent-Garden-VHS-0769720382-X.jpg){kind=small}
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] Image](/images/Verdi-Falstaff-Giulini-Bruson-Ricciarelli-Nucci-Royal-Opera-Covent-Garden-VHS-0769720358-X.jpg){kind=small}
Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops:
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
The Mikado (The Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2011-03-29; DVD
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
Gilbert & Sullivan: The MikadoKultur; Release date: 2008-08-26; DVD
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
The MikadoVIDEO ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL; Release date: 2003-09-30; DVD
Best price: $26.90
Price in other shops:
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Gondoliers / David Hobson, Roger Lemke, Australian OperaRelease date: 2006-09-26; DVD
Best price: $16.48
Price in other shops:
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Donkin, Saks, Stratford FestivalRelease date: 2000-02-08; DVD
Best price: $24.00
Gilbert & Sullivan - PatienceKultur; Release date: 2008-03-25; DVD
Best price: $16.44
Price in other shops:
Gilbert & Sullivan - Pirates of Penzance / Anthony Warlow, David Hobson, Australian OperaKultur; Release date: 2008-08-26; DVD
Best price: $16.48
Price in other shops:
Topsy-TurvyFelknor Ventures; Release date: 2000-06-20; DVD
Best price: $8.40
Price in other shops:
Gilbert & Sullivan: The MikadoA and E Home Video; Release date: 2005-12-26; DVD
Best price: $6.54
Price in other shops:
The Pirates of PenzanceUniversal Studios; Release date: 2010-09-14; DVD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops: