THIS year's production from Hereford Gilbert and Sullivan Society is Patience, an operetta about poets, that satirises the aesthetic movement, a fad of the 1870s and 1880s, characterised by poets such as Oscar Wilde and Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Poking fun at the hero worship of the time, Gilbert’s witty dialogue excels when set to Sullivan’s infectious melodies.

Two poets, Reginald Bunthorne and Archibald Grosvenor, love nothing better than to sashay about rhapsodising in the hope of winning the heart of Patience, a dewy-eyed milkmaid. In so doing they enchant the (lovesick) maidens of the village who forsake their virile suitors, the dragoon guards, and before you can say ‘iambic pentameter’ they are swooning over Reggie and Archie. Rejected by Patience, Reginald decides to raffle himself off and tickets sell like hot sonnets. Meanwhile Lady Jane, an ageing spinster, wants to get her hands on Bunthorne’s couplets, and plots with Grosvenor to remove the rival milkmaid. Archie and Patience finally get it together, the maids return to their troopers, leaving poor Reggie to contemplate his lilies alone. In short it is a delightful caper which will leave you smiling well into the small hours.

Patience is played by Rachel Roper who was on The Courtyard stage last week in Hereford Cathedral School's sell-out production of Fiddler on the Roof, and Hope Pugh, who played Golde (Rachel's mother in Fiddler) joins her in a principal role in Patience.

The society's professional orchestra is drawn from a pool of talented musicians under the accomplished baton of Matthew Hunt, musical director, composer, and conductor of international renown. Musical director Alan Durman is also a gifted composer, writer, conductor, soloist and ‘patter’ man, while stage director Alistair Donkin, has performed with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, both the Welsh and English National Opera and the BBC Concert Orchestra to name but a few.

Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated on 14 comic operas which continue to enjoy huge popularity with all age groups across the globe, a partnership comparable to that of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The enduring appeal of their work is down to Gilbert’s witty dialogue and Sullivan’s timeless melodies. Patience is no exception with its wonderful arias, comic ensembles and even a patter song for the chorus. Opening in 1881 it ran for 578 performances, becoming the longest running musical and the first theatrical performance to be lit by electric light at the newly built Savoy Theatre.

Patience is at The Courtyard, Hereford, from Wednesday, March 16 to Saturday, March 19. To book, call the box office on 01432 340555 or visit courtyard.org.uk