The Gilbert & Sullivan Society held its sixth triennial Convention in Birmingham on 13th May 1978, and the Birmingham Branch, ably chaired by Bill Slinn, did us proud. If there was one criticism of the proceedings it can only be that there was no opportunity for philosophical discussion about the operas in public among members. Such public discussion as there was, was confined to a team of pre-elected experts (of which I was not one), and to the informal discussion that one was able to indulge in at the tea and meal breaks. The emphasis was on entertainment, and excellent it was too. The proceedings were opened by that lovely lady Helen Roberts, the President of the Birmingham Branch for 30 years ("You were a mere child when you became our President" observed Bill Slinn gallantly) who made the pertinent point that nobody should be interested only in G&S, but that a knowledge of other music and other operettas makes one appreciate G&S the more. Brian McMaster, General Administrator of W.N.O., gave an address on operas in Birmingham, rather shorter than was anticipated; and we then had a session of Any Questions chaired very ably by Michael Butler of Nottingham Branch with Jean Gye (Leicester), Josie Higginson (Preston) David Walton (Manchester) and Les Weaver (Liverpool) providing the very learned and frequently witty answers to a series of really quite villainous questions. David Walton's "singing" of a verse of the Heavy Dragoon song to which he had fitted his own words in a modern recipe, was particularly enjoyable. At lunch I had the pleasure of speaking to Michael Butler who, to my surprise, read my lapel badge and asked if I was the person who wrote the sleeve notes for Pearl's re-issues and wrote The Walters Table in The Savoyard. This started up a very interesting discussion on the subject of Pearl reissues and my connection with them - and of old records. After lunch we all set out for a coach trip to Aston Hall, an historic house dating from Jacobean times and with a beautiful "long gallery" which would have made an excellent setting for a production of Ruddigore. We were conducted round by a superintendent who told us all by rote, and had a rather irritatingly arch style of humour. On the lawn outside, afterwards, David Walton approached me and asked if I was the Michael Walters who used to do The Walters Table in The Savoyard ("this is getting to be a familiar opening gambit" I thought). I attempted to return the compliment by offering him a copy of Gilbertian Gossip. Then I met Michael Butler again, and he, Mrs. Butler and I grabbed a quick cup of tea (for which he kindly paid) in the refreshment room, which was complete with Georgian one-armed bandit, and Jacobean transistor radio. This surprised me a little in view of the fact that the superintendent had informed us that the hall's founder had had a large number of children by his first wife - "There was no radio or television in those days" he remarked dryly. There was a Victorian Gilbert and Sullivan Society silence in which a small dirty snigger from yours truly sounded embarrassingly loud. "Thank you, sir" he observed. We returned for a recital of songs by Sullivan without Gilbert and readings from Gilbert without Sullivan. The musical numbers were:- Ho Jolly Jenkin, Thou are lost to me, Our tale is told (Rose of Persia) O tell me what is a maid to do (Haddon Hall) God shall wipe (Light of the World) I cannot sleep & O Gladsome Light (Golden Legend) On the heights of Glentoun (Emerald Isle) Once Again; The Willow Song; Sigh no more Ladies (arranged for sop & cont.); Buttercup Duet (Cox & Box, both verses) Queen of the Roses (Haddon Hall) O heart's desire (Haddon Hall) Two's company (Emerald Isle). There were some instances in which the singers were not really suited to the songs they were singing. The accompanist & organizer of the evening was Doris Adams. The songs were interspersed with readings. Two Bab Ballads, "The Bumboat Woman's Story" and "Annie Prothero" were read by Doreen Hawes. Norman Beckett read three letters by Gilbert, which he made sound very funny and the lyric "A King though he's pestered with cares" from His Excellency. Josie Higginson read an article by Gilbert from Fun entitled "A Christian Frame of Mind", which was one of the best “oo-nastie”s I have heard for a long time. We then had tea, and this was followed by a concert called "Twisted Cues and Elliptical Balls" a G&S entertainment by John Judd and an un-named assistant who played the piano. This was a sort of send-up of a Max Adrian one man evening. It was very funny and involved audience participation - Albert Truelove, sitting in the front row, had the time of his life, and entered into the spirit of the evening, in fact being very naughty. Mr. Judd took the mickey out of Gilbert a little bit, with such memorable lines as "Thy doom is nigh, thy knell is rung, pink cheek, bright eye, rose lip, big bum." During the interval, I made the acquaintance of Philip Mawson, a young man from Blackburn, to whom I gave a copy of GG, and chatted about this and that. I did not manage to meet two ladies from Malta, who were (I was told) in the audience. Also at the proceedings was Richard Walker, but he deserves a paragraph to himself. MICHAEL WALTERS

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