Review: TRIAL BY JURY At Baltimore's Historic Westminster Hall - A Victorian Treat

By Guest Critic: Art Brown

Often we here in Baltimore do not appreciate what we have in theatrical performances. This week The Baltimore Bar Foundation, Inc. along with the Young Victorian Theatre Company put on a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's TRIAL BY JURY at the University of Maryland Law School's Westminster Hall. Besides the need to visit Edgar Allan Poe prior to the performance, then traipsing through the cemetery, the interesting aspect of this presentation was that many of the cast were members of the Baltimore City Bar Association.

TRIAL BY JURY is a light operatic comedic farce written by Gilbert and Sullivan in 1875. Arthur Sullivan composed the music while his collaborator W. S. Gilbert wrote the libretto. Gilbert, a failed lawyer, loved to spoof the legal profession and he does so here in spectacular fashion.

The story concerns the "breach of promise" to wed a young very pretty and quite flirtatious maiden to her quite amorous and equally flirtatious and philandering boyfriend. Running only forty minutes, it is a great introduction into opera and Gilbert and Sullivan. The audience is entertained from the time the boyfriend (Edwin the Defendant), played by Ben Shulman (an attorney with a wonderfully classically trained voice from Peabody Conservatory) expresses in song why he cannot marry the beautiful Angelina played by Kelly Curtin, soprano. To the finale when . . . . well, I guess you are just going to have to see the show sometime. Curtin, with a rich soprano voice, performs with full emotions the sorrow and anguish of her rejected marriage and why she decides to sue.

As the show begins, sitting in the audience are the bridesmaids who are also some of the women still being wooed by the Defendant. The Judge, played by Brian Goodman, (attorney and general manager of the Young Vic for 38 years) explains how he achieved becoming a Judge by marrying an ugly daughter, (picture of Kim Davis used). Goodman hams it up every moment he can and is just plain terrific. Cantor Thom King of Beth El synagogue returns to Young Vic after a long hiatus. His rich voice was superb as the Usher. Peter Tomaszewski (a booming voice) played Counsel for the Plaintiff. Claire Iverson and Mary Claire Curran shared the role of the First Bridesmaid. Although written and sung in English the libretto was projected on a screen over the stage, with some of the words being changed to fit Baltimore.

The Bridesmaids were Erica Furguson, Jhanelle Graham (attorney), Kelly Hughes Iverson (attorney), Alison Kohler (attorney), K. Nichole Nesbitt (attorney), Dawn O'Croinin (attorney), and Melodie Rinaldi. The Gallery included Lydie Glynn (Assistant Baltimore City Solicitor), M. Willis Gunther, Katherine Kelly Howard (attorney), Kendra Randall Jolivet (attorney), and Singleton Wyche. They danced and pranced on the stage to help with the merriment.

But no review would be complete without mentioning the Jury led by the Foreman, Jonathan Biran (attorney), and included Sean Gugerty (law clerk), James Miller (attorney), Hon. Michael Reed (Judge Court of Special Appeals, Maryland), Hon. Edward R.K. Hargadon (Judge of the Circuit Court of Baltimore City), Orbie Shively (attorney), Hon. Charles Shubow (EEOC Administrative Judge and Broadwayworld critic), Jeffrey Hochstetler (Assistant City Solicitor in Baltimore) and Tate Tiemann. They got a huge laugh during the song "I Love Him" when the Judge stated "Put your briefs upon the shelf" and each member of the jury waves clean white briefs.

James Harp, Stage Director and Dr. Phillip Collister, Musical director and Conductor knew exactly how to transform the small theater and minimalist of staging in Westminster Hall into quite a professional and theatrical experience. The superb orchestra included R. Timothy McReynolds (piano), Michael Vaughn (violin), Pamela Stevens (flute), Jim Dickey (oboe), Bill Welty and Jeff Tomeck (clarinets) Karen Smith Manar (bassoon), Adam Tillet (horn), Nick Mazziott (trombone), Lloyd McKinney (bass) and Chris Monroe (percussion).

Marie Bankerd was the Costume Designer and they were spot on.

Hopefully, this production will continue in some manner at another venue. It was such a delight!

The Young Victorian Theatre Company will be presenting Gilbert & Sullivan's IOLANTHE this summer at Roland Park Country Day School on July 16, 17, 21, 23, and 24, 2016. Auditions will be on Saturday, March 19. For information, visit www.yvtc.org.

Photo Credit: Idris Leppla

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