Patience – Wilton’s Music Hall, London

Director: John Savournin

Libretto: W.S. Gilbert

Composer: Arthur Sullivan

Fresh from their great summer show of H.M.S. Pinafore at Opera Holland Park, Charles Court Opera are in Wilton’s Music Hall to wrap up the UK tour of their production of Patience. In an age where every second week seems to bring a new lifestyle movement (early 2022 favourite “Cottagecore” seems to still be going strong) this satirical take on the Aesthetic movement of the late 1800s is surprisingly fresh feeling, punchy and thought provoking.

It holds a typically convoluted G&S story, with, of course, a general theme of duty that underlies the commentary about popular movements. This time the storytelling is dominated by a satirical view of proponents of Aestheticism (who say things like “Our tastes have been etherealised”), an obsession with love as a goal, and prioritising duty over happiness in the courtship matches made. It focuses on the relationships between Reginald Bunthorne, the ladies who worship him, the lady he actually loves, the man who she loves, and a group of soldiers who want to be loved too. There’s much swapping around and shifting allegiances as well as personalities, all making beautifully chaotic sense and driving home some skewering points about trendiness.

Jenny Jacobs as one of the ladies who love Bunthorne, Lady Saphir, has a beautifully resonant voice with great depth. It plays fantastically well off her comically odd and obsessive character. John Savournin is smashing as Bunthorne himself, the crux of the story and embodiment of the Aesthetic movement. Stepping in for an illness-struck Matthew Kellett for this performance, it’s a joy to hear him sing, and equally pleasurable to watch his portrayal of Bunthorne’s struggle and panic when he discovers how unsatisfying it is to focus on substance-free appearances. Watching him at his most obnoxious moments, he seems like one of those awful people who post lengthy LinkedIn stories about some pretend hardship they’ve gone through.

The second act opens strongly with a solo for the other standout performer Catrine Kirkman and her song Sad is That Woman’s Lot lamenting (and celebrating) the ageing process. It’s a great chance to highlight this strong character and performer who consistently lands jokes, notes and drives the energy forward.

As a whole, however, the second half lacks the zip of the first. Fine performances abound from Kirkman, and from Matthew Palmer, David Menezes and Dominic Bowe as the soldiers who turn to Aesthetics to win back their girls in the duo of songs It’s Clear That Mediaeval Art and If Saphir I Choose to Marry. And it’s a strong finish. But it has a feeling of exposition rather than drama coming to a head. It could be the material, the interpretation of both, but it feels the promise of silliness, thoughtfulness and wit made in the first half is not kept for the second, bar a few key moments.

Supporting it all is David Eaton on fine form at the piano – the only accompaniment – and the design eye of Simon Bejer whose costumes (especially for the soldiers and Saphir) to represent the Aesthetics obsessed crowd are a treat of neon and teenage goth.

Every creator ruminates on the relevance and shelf life of their work. Even the talented writer behind Patience, W.S. Gilbert, had reservations about whether the jabs at the Aesthetic movement would resonate even a few years on from the premiere. He needn’t have worried; it was relevant then, and retains that currency now. It reflects a constant theme of fads and trends that ebbs and flows. The second-half slowdown notwithstanding, the opera is a lengthy, enjoyable, funny exploration of the idea expressed years later by Coco Chanel: “Fashion fades, style is eternal”.

Runs until 26 August 2022