Leeds Gilbert & Sullivan Society

Leeds G&S Society is the country’s oldest and best Gilbert & Sullivan society, based in the heart of Leeds, and founded in 1909 in Hunslet. We perform two main shows per year – both musical theatre and light opera – with additional concerts throughout. We pride ourselves on our production values, the quality of our music and the awards we’ve won, but above all we are an energetic, innovative, creative society whose members love bringing G&S and musical theatre to life.

As well as the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, we have also recently performed Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate, Offenbach’s Orpheus In The Underworld, Sondheim’s Into The Woods plus other musical theatre gems such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, She Loves Me and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.

We are lucky to have innovative artistic direction from Anita Adams and Sarah Case, and excellent musical direction from Jonathan Drummond. All have given us a new twist on G&S – and we love it!

Membership

We welcome both playing and non-playing members aged 18 and over. We’re looking for good musicality but also a willingness to learn and lots of energy! No previous G&S experience necessary. Subs are £40 to be a member, plus £50 per show and a regular £1 rehearsal contribution.

Rehearsals

For our March production rehearsals take place from Sept – March every Monday evening from 7:30 to 9:30pm at The Carriageworks. Principal rehearsals are every Wednesday evening same time, same place. In January and February we have three or four Sunday afternoon rehearsals from 1 – 4pm, in other venues around Leeds. Our autumn production rehearses through the summer, and details for rehearsal times and venues are shared before the audition process.

Performances

During a run we usually start at 7.30pm. A typical G&S show lasts about 2 hours, so we tend to finish just before 10pm. We also like to do at least one matinee during a run, usually the Saturday afternoon. Timings for this vary, depending on the show. We also perform concerts in and around Leeds.

Venues

We perform our main (March) production at The Carriageworks. Concerts are in church halls and similar venues around Leeds. Recently we have moved the autumn production from The Carriageworks out into venues around Leeds.

Leeds Gilbert & Sullivan Society - The Pirates of Penzance

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“I am certain that this review will do much to revitalise the work of Mr Gilbert and Sir Arthur and well done indeed to Sarah [Case] for her richly imagined ‘Dilemma’. The entire cast revelled in their beautiful singing and mastery of the comedy.”

Christine Castle

NODA - 2017

NEXT SHOW

THE MIKADO

21st – 25th March 2018

Carriageworks Theatre

Since its premiere in 1885 at the Savoy Theatre in London, The Mikado (or The Town of Titipu) has become one of the most-performed pieces of musical theatre in history. As with many of Gilbert and Sullivan’s productions, the show satirizes aspects of Victorian Britain’s politics and aristocracy; in The Mikado, however, the duo cleverly cloaked these criticisms behind a charming story set not in Britain, but in exotic Japan.

Nanki-Poo, the son of the Mikado (the Japanese emperor), has fled in disguise to avoid marrying a much older suitor, and to find and marry his own beloved, the beautiful Yum-Yum. Yum-Yum, however, is the ward of Ko-Ko, the lord high executioner, and has become betrothed to him against her will. In the meantime, Ko-Ko finds his job difficult to carry out as the Mikado puts pressure on him to fulfill his quota of killings, but the executioner realizes he is too soft-hearted to kill anyone. His solution is to trade a month of marriage to Yum-Yum for Nanki-Poo’s life (though he only pretends to kill him), but, of course, the plan backfires as Ko-Ko finds himself subject to capital punishment for allegedly killing the Mikado’s son. As usual in Gilbert’s imaginative plots, the tangled web unravels, and everyone lives happily ever after.

This complex satire is characterized by the clever wordplay, memorable tunes, and endearing characters that have allowed Gilbert and Sullivan’s popularity with audiences to endure for well over a century.