Gallant gondolier Nick Birbeck hits the right notes

A prince within G&S circles and one of the many talents to wear the Kendal and District Gilbert and Sullivan Society badge proudly, Nick explains what floats his boat as regards comic operettas, performing in general and the strong links between socities: "I first heard Gilbert and Sullivan when I started secondary school," reflects Nick as he dons his Venetian boater and finest waistcoat and strides ready for The Gondoliers, this year's KADGASS production running at Kendal Town Hall, from Wednesday, March 28, until Saturday, March 31 (7.30pm).

"I went to Bury Grammar School, in Lancashire, which at the time had an inspirational head of music, John Edwards, a former Cambridge University organ scholar, a great musician and an inspirational teacher.

"He put together a concert version of the Pirates of Penzance, with semi-professional soloists and even at the age of ten I was blown away.

"Like many people my parents had G&S records but I'd never really listened to them till then and suddenly I was hooked."

Nick says he sang throughout his school days, then during his gap year turned to acting, working with a local amateur company for several productions, usually doing light comedies and farces.

"As so often happens, when you go off to university you discover other distractions, and as they say, when wine women and song get too much for you, give up the singing."

He moved back up to South Lakeland about 20 years ago and started singing with his local church choir in Preston Patrick.

"I had the enormous pleasure of meeting and singing alongside Tony Mason, well known to everyone in Lakeland music circles.

"The only problem was we are both just a shade irreverent from time to time and we were frequently caught laughing behind the choir pews.

"The choir folded, and having rediscovered my love of singing a friend of mine, who I knew through Round Table suggested I went along to a rehearsal for a G&S show - Pirates of Penzance again.

"I joined KADGASS then - and at the end of the year I actually felt compelled to stand up at the after show party and tell the society just how friendly and welcoming they were - I felt like I'd known them for years.

"Friendliness is what keeps these organisations going. People will soon leave if they don't feel welcomed and valued.

"I loved it. I went straight from Kendal to join Staveley Amateur Operatic Society, which was doing Patience where I auditioned and took my first small principal part in a G&S show.

"Its just gone from there really, which I guess was about ten years ago.

"Some of the leading players from that time have moved on to other things or other areas, but I learned plenty from them - David Towers, of course in Hornby, the lugubrious and delightful Geoff Hitchen, now frequently found at Preston Opera, and of course, like many I learnt so much of light operetta from the late great Pam Morrow.

"My favourite story of Pam was when we had a lighting problem at Staveley, and we were told that only the front of the stage was really well lit that evening.

"In magisterial tones she announced to me, My dear, I only ever work the front of the stage!" "She had a commanding stage presence, beautiful contralto voice, and lovely sense of humour. Just a joy to work a comic script with."

"A professional singer and actor once said to me that in very many cases the only differences between professionals and amateurs on the stage, is that the former get paid, and the latter have to get paid doing something else!

"I've found this very true. Am-dram is sometimes lampooned dreadfully."

Nick has had many magical moments during the comic capers.

"Playing the Pirate King one year I was enthusiastically swishing my rapier around to the tune for I am a Pirate King', shamelessly following Pam's advice and working the front of the stage. To my horror on the final note I gave a final triumphant swish and nearly decapitated the young violinist in front of me. I did my best to apologise, but I notice whenever she's in the orchestra and I'm on stage she always chooses a seat further back now."

Another moment Nick is unlikely to forget was while playing Jack Point, the jester: "I leapt athletically, are so I thought, to my feet to be met with a resounding crack and an agonising pain in my leg - I'd torn my Achilles tendon.

"Staggering around the stage trying to sing a song and not let on, I bent down at the wrong second and was hit soundly on the head by one of the Yeoman of the Guards all-too-solid halberds. A few seconds later Elsie, played by Vanessa Richards, was solicitously mopping my brow. I was confused, not to mention concussed. I didn't recall her mopping my brow in six months of rehearsals. Then I realised she was mopping up blood flowing from my split scalp.

"I staggered off-stage at the interval, narrowly avoided being carted off by a very enthusiastic St John's Ambulance man.

"No!', I said bravely, I'll carry on. Anyone got any painkillers.' Someone found a foil strip and I gulped two down, and went on. I don't remember anything of the second act, but apparently it was fine, although apparently I did look a bit happy throughout the tragic scene where I ripped the petals off a red rose. A little bit surreal, someone said."

Later, Nick limped happily off to Burgundy's wine bar in Kendal centre, oblivious of all the fuss.

During his dazzling days of G&S, Nick admits that there has been a few genuine dramas, but the show did always go on.

"I was playing Counsel in Trial by Jury with KADGASS a few years ago.

"On the opening night, with minutes before curtain up the leading lady was nowhere to be seen.

"A mobile phone call revealed she was delayed because one of her children had been rushed to hospital. With seconds to spare Vanessa Richards, new to the society that year, and who was playing Mabel in the accompanying HMS Pinafore to my Frederick, put on Angelina's jilted bride's wedding dress, went on stage and executed a faultless word-perfect performance.

To do reliable consistent shows you need dedicated people who are going to put in an awful lot more than one or two rehearsals a week. For a leading principal part you need to learn lines - and with Gilbert that's difficult because over all the shows a lot of lines are very similar but just slightly different - you need to practice dance and movement, you need to learn the songs - not just the solos but duets, quartets, octets and the chorus work, and many of us have regular singing lessons to keep our voices up to the mark.

"On top of this we have sets to construct, props to make, venues to book and liase with. It all boils down to a huge commitment.

"People do travel a long way to take part in these shows. One of our newer members, Anna Graves, works just outside Workington and travels down for rehearsal and the show - Stephen Thompson who has worked with us over the years used to come down from Appleby, our producer is coming from Morecambe, and Iain, although he works at Batemans in Lindale, lives in Barrow.

"Clearly many people come to G&S and other amateur theatrical societies mainly to make new friends, widen their interests, and its true there have been some lovely romances and marriages to follow - certainly in KADGASS over the last few years, certainly four individuals to my knowledge have found true love in the rehearsal rooms and gone on to marry.

But why do you continue year on year to put yourselves through all the hard work of staging a G&S spectacular?

"We don't have delusions of grandeur, honest.

"We know we're only entertaining local people in the town hall, or a village hall, or whatever. "But the principle's the same wherever.

"I first knew what "it" was when I played Jack Point, the tragic joker in G&S's Yeoman of the Guard. Yeoman is probably the most operatic of their work, with fabulous huge music and, although very comic, also genuinely tragic. Jack Point's love goes off with the heroic soldier, and Jack, broken hearted sinks a plaintive song then collapses on stage at the final curtain. For a singer with acting tendencies, or vice versa, it's a gift of a part.

"When I ran forward to take my bows at the end the applause gave me a kick like I've never had before, but which is totally addictive. It's the same feeling that makes all performers perform - and I mean perform not just play. It's the buzz that drove my hero Freddie Mercury to brilliant heights, that drives every band from local celebs like Hush to stadium filling heroes of mine like Razorlight or that old rocker Bryan Adams - that drives wonderful local talents like Steve Hall or Oscar-winning Helen Mirren - it's the same.

"It's the feeling that you are entertaining people, that they are enjoying it, that from time to time you have that audience in the palm of your hand all focussed on you...

"Of course its adrenaline fuelled, and that's what's addictive!

"There are people in this area whose talents deserve bigger stages, and bigger audiences.

"I watched, while hiding in the chorus, Oliver done by Storth Players.

"The performance of the guy who played Fagin could not have been bettered on the West End stage - genuinely.

"Its vital that people go and see these local shows - they'll be surprised.

"There's a lot of interaction between local groups, we borrow performers from them, and they borrow from us. Many of the local choirs have members who do G&S - many are also in Kendal Amateur Operatic Society, Grange AOS, Heysham, Burneside Amateur Theatrical Society, and appear in Roundhouse productions.

Gilbert always liked to debunk the stuffy, take the mickey out of the pompous, and I think this is why so many people love it. His characters are larger than life, recognisable caricatures, and ideal for budding singers and actors, which is why in KADGASS we are encouraging so many young performers to join us. It's wonderful training for a life on stage, if only part-time.

"Sir Arthur Sullivan is one of Britain's most unfairly judged composers. He ranks alongside Elgar and Britten in terms of musical quality and his output, even ignoring the G&S operettas, was amazing. Few people realise that some of our best-loved hymn tunes are Sullivan's. At the time he was regarded as being as significant as Mendelssohn. Ultimately he was right - he wanted to stop doing operettas because he felt it was giving him the reputation of being a frivolous tunesmith rather than a serious composer - and it did. History has judged him better than that. The reality is that his songs can be recognised be young and old over 125 years later. Not bad, really?

Tickets for The Gondoliers are £8.50/£7.50/concessions £6.50 and available from Kendal Tourist Information centre, society members, or at the door.

There's a further report about the KADGASS show in the arts pages of The Westmorland Gazette Leisure section on Friday, March 23.