Customer Reviews

Nothing Whatever to Grumble At

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Being an avid G&S fan, especially of the John Reed era, I really wanted to read this book. Mr. Reed, now in his 90's, was an icon of the late 50's to the near 80's and even beyond, in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and is generally considered one of the top performers of the comic roles in the operas, such as KoKo in Mikado, Sir Joseph Porter in Pinafore, etc.

Though assisted by a 'ghost' writer (a friend and fellow cast mate), it is obvious from the start that this is not highly professional writing, but it is certainly acceptable and clearly tells the tale he wishes told. There are many great anecdotes from his long history with both the D'Oyly Carte and other activities (and some not so great, even showing a bit of petulance and diva style posturing). For those interested in the subject, either in general as G&S fans or fans of Mr. Reed, it is a nice, easy read (no pun intended). If you are not a fan, this is not a good introduction to Gilbert and Sullivan and is not intended to be. The book only hints at Mr. Reed's personal lifestyle and orientation, but that's not the point anyway. It is a very nice chronology of the company, the operas and his part in them and as such provides a few hours of welcome entertainment and some insights not previously known to most.