Iolanthe

One of the joys of being Deputy Lord Mayor is the opportunity to see so much local talent, whether it is a Male Voice Choir, young singers or a local Arts group.

Last night my wife and I went to the Taliesin Arts Centre on the Swansea University Singleton Campus to see Uplands Arts perform Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe. It was a highly entertaining evening, made more so by the minor rewriting of some of the lyrics to make them more contemporary.

I very much enjoyed the throwaway line about Nigel Farage, whilst the Fairy Queen's lament about her missed opportunity to snare Prince Harry, her 'ginger prince' was a triumph. Apparently it was all Trump's fault that Megan came over here and got him first.

Uplands Arts is a long-established group who exclusively perform Gilbert and Sullivan operas and have been doing so since 1943, 82 such productions in all. Although they are an amateur group, the shows are professional and full of talented singers and actors. The direction and staging too was also outstanding.

I look forward to next year's production.