On Sunday 16th May 2021 we were able to enjoy another of Laurence Leng's forty-five minute online presentations. This time he focused on a single opera - The Sorcerer - which is his second favourite after Ruddigore.
He told us the story, illustrated with sketches and photographs, and included favourite songs and arias sung by such well-known artists as Valerie Masterson, Donald Adams, and John Reed. A fine re-telling, though necessarily abridged.

Click here to watch his talk on YouTube

On Sunday 21st March 2021 Laurence Leng gave us a splendid online presentation entitled 'Strange Adventure - the Story of Gilbert & Sullivan.' This was a forty-five minute romp through all the operas except Thespis, reminding us of significant aspects and events, and illustrated with well-chosen musical and pictorial illustrations.

Written, devised and presented by Laurence, it was enjoyed not just by the Sussex membership but by members of the London, Eastbourne, Godalming, and Preston Societies, as well as by people in the USA and Australia.

Click here to watch 'Strange Adventure' on YouTube

Ian Gledhill is a thorough-going man of the theatre with a wealth of experience onstage and off. He is also an accomplished speaker, and spoke humorously of when he shared a house with three opera singers who roped him in as their accompanist on his harmonium (the only musical instrument between the four of them).

Through them he was weaned onto G&S, stage management, set design and directing. He is now an accredited Arts Society lecturer, speaking on over 40 subjects and running lectures and study days.

An entertaining concert arranged and accompanied by Christine Colbourne, with Alan Carter as our worthy Chairman. Romy McCabe sang four of her deliciously cheeky songs, Paul Welch sang 'O For the Arms of an Ape,' and there were star turns from Valerie Stevenson, Douglas Wragg, Bill Colbourne, Sylvia Nixon, Laurence Leng, Barbara Sayers, Diana Truscott, and Isabel Jay Trophy winner Jemima Byrne.