Last night we had a lesson in the value of an actor, that is, what an actor can bring to a script. Following the untimely death of Tim Pigott-Smith who was to play the lead role in Miller’s bitter bouquet to a lost way of life and filial love, Nicholas Woodeson has bravely stepped into the part with a mere two weeks to learn the lines. Unsurprisingly last night’s performance could only reach the heights of a well-rehearsed read-through with Mr Woodeson understandably some way from being ‘off book’.

★★★★☆ In Sasha Regan’s production, W S Gilbert’s story is told as a kind of midsummer night’s dream of a boy scout’s camp concert party in which all characters are played by young men in shorts (the women’s parts with their shorts rolled up) . . . This is as imaginative, clever, witty and unstuffy a production of Gilbert and Sullivan as you are likely to find and may be just the thing to tempt people who think comic opera is not for them.