The Gondoliers, The National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Harrogate International Centre

THERE are some firsts in theatre you could do without. Saturday's matinee launch of the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival had to cope with the first sight of 200 elderly theatre-goers standing up to leave with around half-an-hour to go because they had a train to catch back to London.

Ian Smith, chairman, artistic director and founder of the event, who moved the event from Buxton to Harrogate last year, used his own car to assist anxious ticket-buyers who had clearly mistimed their visit.

Meanwhile, a nicely-judged performance somehow managed to stay afloat in spite of the distractions. I liked director John Savourin "freeze-framing" the cast to focus on individual songs and important conversation and there was a youthful enthusiasm about the production, right down to the sight of veteran G&S performer Bruce Graham creating laughter by skipping to his curtain call as Don Alhambra del Bolero, the Grand Inquisitor.

Venice and the fictional land of Barataria abound with mistaken identities, lost loves and legal shenanigans as the prolific Arthur Sullivan and WS Gilbert's 12th comic opera crosses familiar territory with charm and humour.

Richard Gauntlett portrays a John Inman-style Duke of Plaza-Toro as he tries to find out whether Robin Bailey or Kevin Greenlaw (as Gondoliers Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri) is an incognito king already married to his daughter.

The stand-out singer is probably Claire Lees, who has wed Marco, while Una McMahon's Tessa, is hitched to Giuseppe. Confusions are finally resolved, and don't involve an early-doors exit to London.

The National Festival Orchestra and chorus also deserve a mention.

* The festival runs until August 23. gsfestival.org

* The G&S Opera Company tour this production plus HMS Pinafore and The Mikado to Darlington Civic Theatre, September 15 to 19. Box Office: 01325-486555 and darlingtoncivic.co.uk

Viv Hardwick