Christchurch Gilbert and Sullivan Society 
Regent Centre, Christchurch
Bethany Sivewright
24 September 2026
In their style of faithfully performing each and every Gilbert & Sullivan title, Christchurch G&S Society are this year returning to a particularly special show for them; their very first show, put on in 1984. This is their fourth time performing Iolanthe, a satirical comedy sending up the British aristocracy and legal system, with a whimsical romance between a girl and a half-fairy at its heart. For this production, directed by Grahame Goodyer and assisted by Mark Ward, the setting was brought forward over 100 years from the original 1880s timeline to a ‘modern’ 1997. While I certainly can’t claim to be a G&S expert, the shift seemed to work well and helped bridge the gap between some of the more archaic language and style to a more modern-day story, which helped bring the story alive for a Gilbert & Sullivan newbie like me.
The show opened with an almost Star Wars-esque rolling text in which the scene is set and the audience learns that the fairy Iolanthe (Eleanor Riley) was banished by the Fairy Queen (Amanda King) 25 years previously for marrying a mortal man who just happened to be the Lord Chancellor (Alan Ponting). Unbeknownst to him, 24 years ago she had their son Strephon (John Rimell), who is now in love with the Lord Chancellor’s ward Phyllis (Susy Davies), but is unable to gain his permission to marry her due to his lowly status as a zookeeper. And thus we are transported into a world of fairies, peers and the age-old battles of the classes and the sexes. This scene setting was certainly helpful, although I would have appreciated a voice-over reading out the information as well as having the text rolling, to cater for those in the audience who might struggle to read the projected text. It was followed by a lovely dance sequence by a young group from Carousel Dance & Drama, led by Leila Greenwood, Cece Ledgard and Connie Ledgard. The young dancers were sweet, graceful and funny, opening the show with a wonderful sprinkling of fairy magic.
What came next was an evening of entertaining capers, with fairies tripping hither and thither, peers cartwheeling across the stage and a Lord Chancellor exhibiting impressive stamina to get out THAT MANY words without giving himself a cardiac arrest! Stand-out performances came from Amanda King who was amusing and imposing in equal parts as the Fairy Queen, Casey Pomeroy who brought an exuberant energy with his portrayal of Lord Mountararat, and Steve Tuddenham who created some great comic moments, both in and out of the spotlight, as Private Willis. For me one of the joys of any musical is hearing wonderful singing, and the operatic style of G&S provides particular opportunity to showcase the cast’s talent in that area, with powerful solos and complex group numbers; I’m sure vocal coach Teri Freeman will be very proud of their performances. The music was brought to life with choreography by Adam Davis and Lucy Smith, who filled the stage with movement and coordinated an extraordinarily large cast in ensemble dances; not forgetting of course the wonderful accompaniment of a live orchestra led by Musical Director Ieuan Davies. I must also mention the costumes, arranged by Jan Bishop, in particular the array of beautiful fairy wings that filled the stage with colourful patterns; I couldn’t take my eyes off them!
Gilbert & Sullivan is a beloved genre by many and Christchurch Gilbert & Sulivan Society have once again done it justice by bringing Iolanthe to life with colour, magic and no-end of enthusiasm. Being new to the story myself, I must say that parts of the story and humour were a little lost as not all of the words were clearly audible, so this is an area I would encourage the society to keep focussing on in order to continue introducing G&S to a broader audience for many years to come (and perhaps provide a brief synopsis and a little wider history of G&S musicals in the programme). That being said, I was able to follow the whole story and found it still to be both relevant and entertaining, over 140 years after it was first performed. That is quite an impressive legacy and one that I hope the society will continue to carry forward for many more years! The entire cast and production team should be very proud of this show, which continues to light up the stage at the Regent Centre until Saturday 26th September.
