Cox & Box

by Paul Gillis



I enjoyed an extremely silly Victorian operetta Wednesday evening at the Warehouse Mainstage. It had only 3 roles, all male, accompanied by piano. The performance was very tight and all great fun.



Arthur Sullivan did not only work with W.S. Gilbert. He composed "Cox and Box" in 1866 with lyrics by F.C. Burnand, based on an earlier play. The Victorian Lyric Opera Company, from Laurel, Md., does a fine job of singing it. I particularly liked Mr. Box singing an ode to a slab of bacon he is cooking for breakfast, while rocking it like a baby.



Watching this light opera made me think the whimsical humor of twentieth century groups like Monty Python and Beyond the Fringe was already established in old Blighty during Victoria's time.



For more photos of this production, click here.