The Gondoliers was Gilbert and Sullivan’s last major success when it opened on 7 December 1889 and it arguably takes the honours as the lightest and brightest of their creations.

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It tells the story of Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri, two newly married Venetian gondoliers who discover that one of them, though it is unknown which, is the heir to the throne of the remote Kingdom of Barataria.  True to their (adopted) Republican roots, they set off together to rule in idealistic, if somewhat chaotic style.  The brothers’ new brides are excited over the possibility of being Queen until they discover that the king was married in infancy to someone else.  Only the royal nursemaid has the answers everyone is seeking…

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The show boasts some of Sullivan’s greatest musical hits including the exhilarating ‘Cachucha’, the vivacious ‘Regular Royal Queen’ and the beguiling ‘Take a Pair or Sparkling Eyes’.  Indeed,  it has all the classic topsy-turvy ingredients and characters of pantomimic proportions to make it a wonderful pre-Christmas treat for all the family!