The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan

Very disappointing. I thought it would be clips of famous Doyle Carte singers (John Reed, etc.), but instead it's a bunch of modern D.C. players who seem to have nothing better to do. Especially disappointing is the esteemed Peter Pratt, who seems to put very little effort into his performance--he bears only a casual relationship with rhythm, and does not act at all. Pass this video up.

I agree in part with both the above reviews.

Some of the numbers are cut short and the editing is irritating as the cuts are obvious. The video duration is 54 minutes and they manage to include 'over 20 scene selections', as stated on DVD cover, by making many so short.

Although I, too, would have loved to have had some of the well-known D'Oyly Carte Opera Company names, I thought the singers chosen sang and acted well with the exception of Peter Pratt. I'm afraid I agree that he gave a lacklustre performance. The star of the show is John Ayldon who is a natural for Gilbert and Sullivan, with a beautiful bass baritone voice and excellent facial expression, extracting all the humour from each of his solos. He demonstrates that joy of performing which I would associate with Gilbert and Sullivan operas and the DVD is worth purchasing for his performances alone.

Personally, I found the snippets of conversation between Gilbert and Sullivan in their Albert Hall box rather charming.

It would be excellent if the whole concert can be released on DVD. Meanwhile, G & S fans would get pleasure from this shorter version.

(A few small points: The DVD is actually called 'Gilbert and Sullivan, Their Greatest Hits'. Sullivan, in one of the conversations, says the concert is taking place in 1982, rather than 1983. For some reason, bass baritone John Ayldon is down as Alan Ayldon in the closing credits.)

This video is taken from a live concert in 1983. The original D'Oyly Carte Opera Company had folded the year before. For over 100 years they performed the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan, touring the UK, America and Australia often for 48 weeks of the year.

For some reason the video is brutally cut, and some singers don't have their solos included. The orchestra is a county schools' orchestra and isn't of the highest standard.

For G&S fans this video is essential. Vivian Tierney, who went on to have a career in grand opera is excellent in her numbers. It is also interesting to see Peter Pratt, who left the company in 1959 - although he recorded some of the operas, I had never seem him on stage before watching this video. The other singers are John Ayldon, Geoffrey Shovelton and Patricia Leonard, who all have a large fan base among G&S enthusiasts. The chorus is massive, consisting of anyone who wanted to go along to the Royal Albert Hall, London and join in; many went in costume.

The numbers are interspersed with a couple of actors who are supposed to be Gilbert and Sullivan themselves. Some people find them annoying, but I don't find it too bad.

Maybe one day the whole concert will be released on video.

A must-have for G&S fans, representing the unique performing style of the original D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.