Wonderful joy, energy, & sheer engagement: Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers from English Touring Opera, directed by Liam Steel

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers – Kelli-Ann Masterson, Phil Wilcox, Matthew Siveter, Lauren Young, George Robarts – English Touring Opera (Photo: © Richard Hubert Smith)

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers; Phil Wilcox, Lauren Young, Matthew Siveter, Robin Bailey, Samuel Pantcheff, Natasha Agarwal, Beth Moxon, director: Liam Steel, conductor: Jack Ridley, English Touring Opera; Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
Reviewed 20 March 2026

An all-singing, all-dancing performance full of a wonderful joy and sheer engagement from all performances, brings out the verve and energy of the piece without losing the satirical edge

Coming as it did after The Yeomen of the Guard, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers might seem a return to their earlier, frothier form. But the piece is deceptive. In The Gondoliers Sullivan was working with a larger orchestra and much more attention is paid to orchestral detail. Not just that, the work’s first twenty minutes or so are entirely without dialogue, whilst the number of significant characters is positively operatic. In terms of plot, the devices that Gilbert uses to create his topsy-turvey-dom are her rather less fantastical than usual.

Of course, there are weaknesses. Sullivan has written fewer show-stopping tunes for a start and Gilbert’s plot seems to consist of two entirely separate plots, only in mid-Act Two does the Duke of Plaza-Toro interact with the two Gondoliers.

It is perhaps the work’s musical richness that makes it popular with opera companies. [Scottish Opera performed it in 2022, see my review, whilst ENO performed it in 2006, see my review]. English Touring Opera opened their Spring 2026 season with a new production directed by Liam Steel. The company is moving its base of operations to Sheffield and for the first time the tour opened there at the city’s historic Lyceum Theatre on 20 March 2026.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers – Kelli-Ann Masterson, Samuel Pantcheff, Robin Bailey – English Touring Opera (Photo: © Richard Hubert Smith)

The Lyceum was built in 1897, and designed by W.G.R. Sprague, designer of many West End theatres including Wyndham’s, Aldwych and Ambassadors. During the post-War period it narrowly avoided demolition and went through vicissitudes until it was handsomely renovated and reopened in 1990.

The Gondoliers was directed by Liam Steel whose 2017 production of Patience was ETO’s first ever Gilbert & Sullivan operetta [see my review]. Robin Bailey and Samuel Pantcheff were the Gondoliers with Natasha Agarwal and Beth Moxon as their sweethearts. Phil Wilcox and Lauren Young were the Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro, with Kelli-Ann Masterson as their daughter, Casilda, and George Robarts as Luiz. Matthew Siveter was Don Alhambra del Bolero. Sets were designed by Michael Pavelka with costumes by Laura Jane Stanfield, lighting by Zeynep Kepekli.

Liam Steel took a traditional view of the operetta, there was even a red velvet drop curtain, and Laura Jane Stanfield’s costumes were largely in keeping. But there were sly satirical elements in the production, though Steel did not make the mistake of over-egging things.

Above all this was a dancing production. Steel, a choreographer and director, had his whole cast dancing. If there was music then there was movement. And when performed with such vivacity, engagement and sheer joy, this brought real movement to the piece.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers – Robin Bailey, Natasha Agarwal, Beth Moxon, Samuel Pantcheff – English Touring Opera (Photo: © Richard Hubert Smith)

There were sly comic digs. One of the young ladies in the chorus (Judy Louie Brown) repeatedly found all the dancing too much. Whilst the Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro (Phil Wilcox and Lauren Young) were traditionally (over) dressed as befitted Castilian aristocracy, their daughter Casilda (Kelli-Ann Masterson) wore a sort of mini-dress version in alarming colours. The grand inquisitor, Don Alhambra del Bolero was in red and black clerical garb but there was so much glitter that, combined with Siveter’s over the top, cape-twirling manner, made Don Alhambra more like Mephistopheles.

When the curtain opened for Act Two, it revealed Robin Bailey (as Marco) wearing the top half of a hussar’s uniform with tight white shorts, and Samuel Pantcheff (as Giuseppe) wearing the uniform trousers and an undervest. It seemed that whilst sharing the kingship, the two were sharing everything, including a bed and the royal pyjamas!

Bailey and Pantcheff made charming heroes, forming a delightful double act. Bailey’s ‘Take a pair of sparkling eyes’ was graceful indeed and Pantcheff brought humour to his Act Two solo. Agarwal and Moxon made the most of the rather underwritten role of the men’s sweethearts. Certainly this pair were gutsy and characterful.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers – Phil Wilcox, Lauren Young, Kelli-Ann Masterson – English Touring Opera (Photo: © Richard Hubert Smith)

Phil Wilcox and Lauren Young had a whale of a time as the Duke and Duchess. Wilcox might not have the bombastic resonant voice, but he was wonderfully self-important and overly grand. Both of his major numbers were admirably pointed, after all these are all about the words. And despite the historical anachronisms, the Duke’s turning his brand into a limited company, and his views on how if everybody is somebody then everyone is nobody are both alarmingly prescient.

As the Duchess, Lauren Young give a finely sung performance so that this Duchess was not just an old bag, and she combined musicality with a nice line in puncturing her husband’s ego. Kelli-Ann Masterson was nicely pert as Casilda, full of faux naivety. And she flirted delightfully with George Robarts rather uptight Luiz – even if we did get to see his chest. This seemed to be a production that emphasised male sexuality, not only Marco’s shorts and Luiz’s chest, but the Act One set featured a set of nude male statues.

The grand inquisitor can be something of a nonentity, but Matthew Siveter’s turn as a Mephistophelian Don Alhambra made him the centre of every scene he was in. Siveter’s cape-twirling manner, expressive eyes and eyebrows allied to his sheer relish for the workds and music made the character a real joy.

The hard-working chorus of eleven not only seemed to be in constant motion but apparently drew real joy from the fact. Their contribution both musical and terpsichorean really lifted the production and carried us away. And the soloists all entered into will too.

In the pit, Jack Ridley drew a pacey account of the score from the orchestra. Light and incisive yet with a nice ear for detail; though I note that we were hearing Peter Murray’s orchestration, economics presumably meaning slightly fewer players than Sullivan desired.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers – English Touring Opera (Photo: © Richard Hubert Smith)

The days when the D’Oyly Carte Company toured the country are long gone. But the first night of ETO’s production in Sheffield was effectively sold out and the company is giving ten further performances around the country. Catch one!