Iolanthe is very much one of "The Big Four", as regards Gilbert and Sullivan's famous light operettas. It combines great tunes with an intricate storyline, half a fairy, lots of full fairies, a blushing Ward of Court, a susceptible Lord Chancellor and seemingly most of the House of Lords - plus a rather chivalrous guardsman. Inevitably, they all get their respective lives into a frightful tangle! Iolanthe's words and music are so strong that they are often performed "in concert" and that is what a party of us is going to see this July, performed by the highly-regarded Buckingham Choral Society, in Buckingham Parish Church. A leading light of the Society is our own Court Assistant Miles Hedges, who a number of us saw in an outstanding performance of The Mikado in the same location, a few years ago. The concert starts at 7.30pm, so we are going to meet for a "theatre supper" beforehand at 5.45pm, at the well-regarded Prego (a good, family-run Italian restaurant), which is just a short walk from the church. Tickets cost £70, to include the meal, (reasonable!) drinks, and tickets to the concert. There are only ten places, so early booking is advisable.

Every so often a show arrives on Broadway or in the West End, which sweeps up all the awards and electrifies the theatre-going public. Obvious examples include, Les Miserables, Phantom, and Hamilton. Recently, it was the outrageous and outstanding (in equal measure) Book of Mormon. This blockbuster musical follows two mis-matched young Mormons, when they are sent to Africa to embark on their missionary work, and the chaos that follows in their wake. When it first appeared on Broadway, Mormon won all the Tony Awards, and tickets changed hands for up to three times their face value! Inevitably the show came to London soon after and here too it swept the boards, winning all the Oliviers, plus numerous other prizes. At one point, the waiting list for tickets was nearly eight months - and that was with two matinees a week! Roll forward to today, three years later, and Mormon is still "packing them in", so we are going to go along and see what all the fuss is about. Because of demand, the theatre has limited our party to just 12 tickets, but they have been kind to us over the price (The Master has friends in low places!) and once the party is booked up, those attending will be circulated about an optional, pre-theatre supper. So come along and enjoy an amazing piece of musical theatre with your livery friends and guests. Tickets cost £49, the show starts at 7.30pm and dress is smart casual.