Buxton Opera House

To the Buxton Opera House to see a production of the Mikado, on the first night of the annual International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. I was brought up hearing this music, as my parents and grandparents loved it. As a child we often went to see performances of G&S operettas.  I must have seen the Mikado at least three times but not at all since the mid-1960s. It was great to repeat the experience, about 55 years on. This production was lively, hilarious, well-sung and played. They avoided the risks of racism and cultural appropriation inherent in the 1885 original whilst losing none of its satirical bite.

The Opera House is a masterpiece by theatre architect Frank Matcham, opened in 1903.

We had a few hours to explore Buxton, taking-in the Crescent, the Pavilion Gardens and a terrific Spanish meal at Santiago.