It was first performed at the Royalty Theatre on the 25th March 1875 and it ran for 128 (another source states 131) performances. It is short, it only lasts for 30 – 40 minutes. It was commissioned to follow an Offenbach comic opera, La Perichole. “Trial by Jury”was very successful, however La Perichole was not. The Evening Star notes on the 17th June 1875 ‘everybody, from the judge to the crier, sings; and there are on the piece some things quite in the Offenbachean vein, while in one quartette Mr Sullivan has admirably caricatured the famous quintette from Lucia. Trial By Jury, though short, is said to be one of the merriest bits of extravagance given to the stage for many a day. It is the only Gilbert and Sullivan operetta that does not contain any spoken dialogue. Gilbert used his short experience in the legal profession as material for this operetta.
From Alamy.com
This is the second Gilbert and Sullivan operetta and it is surprising that it was written at all. Sullivan had written two oratorios in the four years since “Thespis” was written and Gilbert made a considerable amount of money with his plays. It was Richard D’Oyly Carte that brought them together. Carte was staging an opera “La Perichole” at the Royalty Theatre which was not as popular as he had hoped. He thought that it would be a good idea to fill out the evening’s entertainment with another production- of similar length. The success of “Trial by Jury” was the inception of the collaboration between Sullivan and Gilbert. Often “Trial by Jury” was performed at benefit concerts and it is and was paired with other Gilbert and Sullivan works, in some cases, one of the shorter operettas such as The Sorcerer, Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance and The Grand Duke.
From Alamy.com
The chorus played a larger role in Gilbert and Sullivan operas which is contrary to other comic operas that were playing at the time. The chorus became an essential part of the drama. And, Gilbert desired that the sets and costumes were as realistic as possible. Gilbert based the scenery on the Clerkenwell Sessions House, where he had practised law in the 1860s according to Wikipedia.
Gilbert said later in life (from The Gilbert and Sullivan Book by Leslie Bailey) ‘when my collaboration with Sir Arthur Sullivan began, English comic opera had practically ceased to exist and such musical entertainments as held the stage were adaptations of Offenbach, Audran and Lecocq. Their treatment was crude, unintelligent and sometimes, frankly improper’.
Bailey’s book carries on by stating ‘in 1875 musicians delighted in Sullivan’s fresh adroitness, and chortled at such clever parodies as the Handelian chorus and the sextet ‘A nice dilemma we have here’, with its deliciously florid style, a la Italian grand opera’. Another comment made in Bailey’s book refers to the context in which the Gilbert and Sullivan operas were stage. It says ‘an obstacle to theatre-going at the time was the stern religious middle-class conscience that had no love for the theatre or regarded it, together with the dancing hall, as an ante-room to Hell. It was on such a world that Gilbert and Sullivan burst like a bolt from the blue’.
The arrival of “Trial by Jury’ came at a time when better standards of taste and performance were becoming more widespread on stage. The burlesque costumes were gone; the costumes of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas were much more graceful and attractive. Gilbert expected more of his actors than before.
The first production of ‘Trial by Jury’ in the United States was at the Eagle Theatre, New York on the 15th November 1875. This production was unauthorised, which was also the case for a printed libretto which appeared in the United States market.
Fred Sullivan, Arthur Sullivan’s brother died on January 18th 1877 at the age of thirty-nine. He had had the leading role in ‘Trial by Jury’ and this role may have hastened his death. It is thought that Fred was the inspiration for the “patter” songs that are present in the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Wikipedia states that in the reviews ‘special critical praise was reserved for the composer’s brother, Fred Sullivan, in the role of the Learned Judge. His blending, stated the Daily Telegraph, of official dignity, condescension, and, at the right, moment, extravagant humour, made the character of the Judge stand out with all requisite prominence, and added much interest of the piece. The Times states that his portrayal deserved “a special word of praise for its quiet and natural humour”.
Programme cover, The Really Authentic Gilbert and Sullivan Performance Trust, Dunedin, New Zealand
In the Grey River Argus dated the 19th April 1877 it states ‘at a recent performance of the Lydia Howarde Troupe at Wellington was played Arthur Sullivan’s comic operetta “Trial by Jury”, one of the most successful specimens of opera bouffe. It is an intensely funny burlesque of a trial for breach of promise, all the various features of such a trial being musically illustrated, the speeches of the respective counsel, the evidence of each witness, and the Judge’s summing up, all being turned into operatic songs, while as a matter of course there is a grand chorus of jurymen. The music is very meritorious, and the work has met with remarkable success in London, the Judge’s song being especially popular. The trial concludes by the Judge marrying the plaintiff. The whole piece is comical to a degree’.
The photograph has 'Trial by Jury approx. 1909' written on the back. It is most probably a photograph of three actors dressed for a theatrical performance of the play of that name by Gilbert and Sullivan. Kindly provided by the Tasman District Library, New Zealand.
The North Otago Times dated 10th May 1877 has an interesting which reads ‘the last item in the programme was the ever popular little operetta, “Trial by Jury”, in which the two authors – Mr Arthur Sullivan and Mr W. S. Gilbert – took a part; the first as leader of the orchestra, and the latter as the Associate, seated beneath the Judge’s seat’. This was most probably produced as a benefit concert.
From a personally owned programme.
This concert/production was held at the St James Theatre in Dunedin on May 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10 however I do not know what year it was. Judging by the programme and the advertisments within it, possilby it was in the 1960s. The musical items do not seem to have any relevance to Trail by Jury and a previous owner has provided comments such as ‘very good’, ‘not up to standard’, and the word ‘'dreadful’ is used to describe a farce called ‘Samson MacArthritis’.
Programme personally owned.
References
The Gilbert and Sullivan Book Leslie Bailey 1952 Spring Books