The Arcadians by Lionel Monckton and Howard Talbot. New Book by Mel Morrow.

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society broke with tradition to perform The Arcadians at the Malvern Theatre, and this proved very successful. A much smaller theatre than the Alex, there was no problem hearing all the singers, and the small orchestra (keyboard, violin and oboe) worked well, though a recording was used for the overture.
Though there was some similarity to the G&S repertoire, the music and style looked more towards The Boyfriend and the company made a good case for it as an addition to the theatre repertoire. This was the strongest lineup of principals I had seen for many a day, and it was a large cast. On the small stage there were only a few choristers and most principals sang the chorus parts.
Baritone Bruce Raggatt was the outstanding vocalist as Jack Meadows and he worked well with Julia Harper as Eileen. Ron Pidcock was very funny as the dour Peter Doody, while Catherine Northey and Vanessa Petrie combined well as the two main Arcadians. Simon Cooper, though not vocally as strong as some of the others, was very funny as Smith/Simplicitas, and was well matched by Anna Castle as his wife.
The sets were naturally minimalist, but worked quite well, and the costumes were stunning. The choreography was complicated, appropriate and very well executed. A very lively and most enjoyable performance.
Graham Ford