**** (4 stars)
“Sobering Thoughts!”
I grew up on Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operas – my family’s Christmas treat was going to the Savoy Theatre in London to see the D’Oyley Carte Opera Company perform Iolanthe, the Mikado, Patience, Ruddigore. We had recordings of some of these, and I knew words and songs by heart, and knew exactly what ‘proper’ G&S looked like. In time I moved on to ‘grand opera’, but still had and have a very soft spot in my heart for these wonderfully witty, quintessentially English mockeries of Establishment, Privilege, and Correct Behaviour.
I was thoroughly delighted when some years ago Scottish Opera in conjunction with D’Oyley Carte put on a sparklingly witty production of Mikado, so I was really looking forward to Trial by Jury, which I’d never seen live. At the time of its writing, breach of promise of marriage was a serious matter and the subject of criminal trials. In Trial by Jury the Plaintiff accuses the Defendant of promising marriage and then going off with another young woman. Judge and jury all side with her for no obvious reason except that she is young and pretty. The Defendant tries to excuse himself by explaining how it is that a young man’s fancy is inconstant – but declares that he’s perfectly happy to marry both young women. When it’s pointed out that this is bigamy and also a crime, things look black – until the Judge solves the dilemma by announcing that he himself will marry the Plaintiff, who is perfectly happy to marry a rich old man. General rejoicing.
Written in the 1870s, this production moves to the set of a 1980s television game show, which proves the perfect vehicle for all the outrageous behaviour on stage. The costumes are delightful [I particularly liked the six bridesmaids’ frilly purple frocks] and the set wonderfully constructed to add variety to what could have been a very static show. As I expect from Scottish Opera, the cast were all superb, the chorus as individual as the principals, and the whole sing sung perfectly seriously rather than ‘nudge nudge wink wink isn’t this funny?’ which tends in the end to be much less funny.
For me, Jamie MacDougall stole the show as Defendant Edwin, his costume and wig reminding me very strongly of a young Donald Trump, convinced of the justice of his claim, indifferent to the hostility of the court, and perfectly prepared to undertake an illegal action if that would prevent him going to jail. Kira Kaplan’s Plaintiff, Angelina, was a vision in sparkling white, her crystal clear voice and perfect demeanour giving some credence to the immediate and violent feeling in her favour of all present.
Edward Jowle was a wonderful TV show host and delightfully ineffective Usher, completely failing to bring about silence in court, no matter how many times he called for it. Chloe Harris was a wise and witty Counsel for the Plaintiff – another lovely voice here – while Ross Cumming generally failed to keep order as Foreman of the Jury. These four singers are this year’s Scottish Opera Emerging Artists, once again demonstrating the company’s ability to pick singers who are going to go far. The Learned Judge – Richard Suart – was perfect as the game show host/ star – though perhaps going rather further than was usual in such shows in deciding to award the main prize to himself… The chorus were a superb collection of very different individauls, as I’ve come to expect from Scottish Opera. I particularly loved the grand set-piece sextet with full choral underpinning, reminding me very strongly of the magnificent sextet in Lucia.
Underlying all this sparkling gaiety is a rather more serious theme – how charm and beauty can blind people to the reality of the truth. All sins, it seems, can be forgiven if you are young and beautiful or old and canny and know how to manipulate people. The Judge has reached his high status by marrying a rich attorney’s elderly, ugly daughter – but everyone takes this as perfectly okay: no need to be qualified to do something, just use money and influence to get where you want to be. The Plaintiff wins everyone’s sympathy just by being beautiful [and possibly weeping a few crocodile tears].
This theme was taken up in A Matter of Misconduct, a new opera by Emma Jenkins and Toby Hession. Having already greatly enjoyed their earlier pieces for Scottish Opera’s touring company – Told by an Idiot and In Flagrante – I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this new, larger-scale work. I did enjoy it, but was not bowled over by it – hence only four stars instead of the five I would have liked to give.
There was an enormous amount to enjoy. Just as with G&S, the dialogue was witty and extremely topical – in this political atmosphere the hugest laughs came every time Granny’s campervan was mentioned, though there were many other glorious witticisms, pointed comments, and positively outrageous rhymes. I think the problem for me was that some of the situations went on a little longer than necessary – as if the material was sometimes stretched out to fit the desired length of time. It didn’t help that at times the supertitles failed to deliver the complex dialogue, leaving us all somewhat in the dark.
The plot was very topical and, in some ways, sickeningly familiar. Deputy Prime Minister Roger Penistone is filming a promotional video for the final week of a leadership contest in which he is the front runner. He is then miked up for an appearance on Loose Women, where he will be joined by his wife Cherry, who is promoting her wellness brand, GUSH. Sandy Hogg, a government special advisor bursts in in a shower of ripe expletives to announce that a major scandal is about to erupt around Roger and his wife – this has to be buried, and it will take a lawyer to sort it out. Enter cynical and extremely savvy Sylvia Lawless, senior partner in the firm of Lawless, Lawless, Lawless and Crook, who outlines the necessary measures.
Suddenly the news breaks that the Prime Minister has been hospitalised and may not recover. Roger is now Acting PM, and has to prepare for an immediate major press conference. To his horror, he realises that the body mike with which he was fitted for Loose Women has been live all the time. Facing the press corps is not easy! When it is over, and everyone has gone, Sylvia Lawless comments that this scandal, too, will be buried. Penistone is popular, the story will be forgotten – but she’ll not forget, and will keep the recording equipment as an insurance policy…
Our quartet of Emerging Artists were again superb. Kira Kaplan was the lawyer this time, a smooth and cynical political operator, whose comments about mud sliding off the very rich and well-connected were very pertinent. Ross Cumming was vilely good as the savvy career politician who went into total meltdown when he faced the prospect of going to prison. Chloe Harris was his aspiring but politically naïve wife Cherry, who nonetheless was determined to stand by her man if the worst happened. Edward Jowle was the well-intentioned, aspirational press secretary, Hugo Cheeseman, who undoubtedly deserved all the criticisms hurled at him by government advisor Sandy Hogg. This was Jamie MacDougall at his brilliant Scottish best, utterly fed up of cleaning up after his charge and totally disinclined either to mince his words or wrap anything up in flannel. The chorus had a grand time being adoring fans, baying press hounds, and anything else the script required.
A Matter of Misconduct told a story only too commonplace these days. At the end of the show, screens updated us on the main protagonists’ careers – Roger Penistone had a landslide victory, Hugo Cheeseman became No. 10’s communications director, and Cherry took part in I’m a Celebrity… Only Sandy Hogg went to Echlefechan for a well-earned retirement.
We were also reminded of the more than 100 examples of politicians’ ‘misconduct’ in recent years, which for the most part were ignored, let slide, and forgotten.
A sobering thought on which to end…
Scottish Opera Trial by Jury, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh,Runs until Friday 6th June for more information go to: https://www.capitaltheatres.com/shows/trial-by-jury/
ScotsGay Arts 