Trial by Jury Savoynet Discussion

Trial by Jury opened at the Royalty Theatre on March 25th, 1875, as an after-piece to follow Offenbach's La Perichole. It was such a success that, before long, audiences were coming to see Trial by Jury rather than the opera it was supporting.

Trial by Jury is unique in the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire. Originally billed as a "Dramatic Cantata", it consists of only one act and contains no spoken dialogue. Its brevity, wit, satire on the legal system, and its sheer silliness, ensure that it remains popular today.

The following notions, suggestions and arguments on Trial by Jury were collected from the "Opera of the Week" discussions held by members of the SavoyNet mailing list during 1997. The thoughts expressed are, of course, the personal opinions of the contributors.

Download this discussion transcript as a single Microsoft Word (185K) file.

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Page updated 16 August, 2011



		You are here: Archive Home > Trial by Jury > Savoynet Discussion TRIAL BY JURY DISCUSSION Compiled by Robert Jones TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. GENERAL a. Everyone Loves Trial by Jury b. Some Inconclusive Historical Background i) The Birth of Trial by Jury ii) Fred Sullivan c. Analysis I d. Analysis II e. A Subtitle for Trial by Jury f. Wife-beating Then and Now 3. THE MUSIC OF TRIAL BY JURY a. Sullivan's Musical References b. The Tuning of the Guitar 4. TRIAL BY JURY IN PERFORMANCE a. Interpretation and Characterisation b. Casting a Female Counsel c. Trial by Jury as Part of a Double Bill d. Be Firm, Be Firm... 5. ALL THE LEGAL FURIES a. Is This the Court of the Exchequer? b. In the Reign of James the Second c. A "Brief" Discussion d. "Reversed en banc" - An Explanation 6. MISCELLANEOUS a. Trial by Jury Puzzles b. Related Websites c. Also in 1875 d. Answers to the Puzzles e. List of Contributors INTRODUCTION Trial by Jury opened at the Royalty Theatre on March 25th, 1875, as an after-piece to follow Offenbach's La Perichole. It was such a success that, before long, audiences were coming to see Trial by Jury rather than the opera it was supporting. Trial by Jury is unique in the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire. Originally billed as a "Dramatic Cantata", it consists of only one act and contains no spoken dialogue. Its brevity, wit, satire on the legal system, and its sheer silliness, ensure that it remains popular today. The following notions, suggestions and arguments on Trial by Jury were collected from the "Opera of the Week" discussions held by members of the SavoyNet mailing list during 1997. The thoughts expressed are, of course, the personal opinions of the contributors. Download this discussion transcript as a single Microsoft Word (185K) file. To Trial by Jury Home Page To SavoyNet Home Page To Opera Index To Gilbert and Sullivan Archive Home Page Page updated 16 August, 2011

TRIAL BY JURY DISCUSSION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION