February

Three little lads from camp are we

Gilbert and Sullivan epic is the very model of a major blockbuster

by Michelle Tomko

One of the few things this reporter remembers about the 1982 gay flick Making Love was the first line of the movie. Kate Jackson says, about her gay ex-husband, "He had this stack of Gilbert and Sullivan records."

Of course, we all know that the names Gilbert and Sullivan have been synonymous with a certain myopic view of gaydom for years. Globally, this dynamic duo has been nothing short of worshipped via several G&S societies, one of which, Lamplighters, is in good old San Francisco.

But if you missed the beautifully staged H.M.S Pinafore at the Cleveland Opera, or if there is not a revival company in your area— even if there is-go and see Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy. The brilliance and realism of this two hour and forty minute film epic contains dozens of moments that, on their own, would earn your attendance.

What really stands out about this body of work is nothing. That's the beauty of it. Every strand of Leigh's masterpiece blends in perfectly with the next to give the audience a realistic taste of life most directors can only

dream of obtaining on screen.

This is no stuffy biography, either. We are spared the coming of age of the two creative geniuses and plopped down right in the middle of their partnership, during the fleeting success of Princess Ida.

The crux of the story lies in Arthur Sullivan, played splendidly by openly gay actor Allan Corduner, wanting his music to act in its own proper sphere as opposed to subordinating his music to Gilbert's words. After refusing to set Gilbert's latest offering to music, saying that it is just recycled topsy-turvy, Sullivan, and his librettist come to an impasse. But the two are under a contractual agreement to the Savoy Theatre, which was built for their productions, and its proprietor Richard D'Oyly Carte (Ron Cook).

After much cajoling by his wife Kitty, charmingly performed by frequent Leigh colleague Lesley Manville, Gilbert attends a Japanese exhibition where he is inspired to write the infamous Mikado.

The film has the signature of Mike Leigh all over it. It is blatantly obvious the painstaking research that went into creating the

Gilbert and Sullivan (right and left, Jim Broadbent and Alon Corduner) give final instructions to the cast of The Mikado before opening night.

atmosphere for the wonderfully developed characters to live in. The sets are magnifi-

cent. The costumes are charming and flattering.

Speaking of costumes, one scene with the nineteenth-century cast of The Mikado stands out. They are told that, for realism, they will not be wearing their usual corsets. The appalled reaction gives us a glimpse of both male and female diva divines.

The make up is perfect in its imperfection. Most notably the crooked, painted-on left brow of Timothy Spall, who gives a huge contribution to this well gelled cast when he is the Mikado. These small attentions to detail are woven throughout the film. Charming nuances of the latest inventions of the time like the telephone, the ink cartridge pen, and electricity also add to the film's realism.

The actors truly became an ensemble, which is character of Leigh's work and his classic theatre training. Each chorus member is unique in both appearance and opinions to such a degree as to make the brilliant extras in the Oscar-winning Titanic appear more like the screaming white sea of teeny-bops in

Wham's "Wake me up before you go-go" video.

Anyone who has ever taken a theatre class can imagine Leigh asking every single cast member what their character had for breakfast that day, and what was the name of their character's first dog before each shoot.

As far as our leading lads go, you will not be disappointed. Corduner's Picassoesque Sir Arthur is loaded with humor and charm. Opposite him is the staunch and proper army brat partner of Jim Broadbent's Gilbert, who on his own earns our respect and sympathy for the minefields of egos he must navigate through. Broadbent is both gracious and entertaining in the scenes where he functions as The Mikado's director, a job not really in existence at the time.

The ladies, too, are far from upstaged. Lesley Manville plays the smart and lonely Lucy Gilbert with grace and poise. Wendy Nottingham certainly holds her own in the man's world of the business side of the theatre as Helen Lenoir. Shirley Henderson and Dorothy Atkinson performances both onstage and off delight and educate the audience in life in the theatre. They are well supported by their co-stars Martin Savage and Kevin McKidd.

So, to all the raging chorus boys out there, he may be a couple of months late, but Santa definitely got your letter. Don't wait for video. This is an event enhanced by the big screen.

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