Trial by Jury and Cox and Box

By F. C. Burnand, W. S. Gilbert, and Arthur Sullivan.

We are delighted to be brining Cox and Box, one of Sir Arthur Sullivan's earliest comic works, written with F. C. Burnand, to the Cambridge stage for the first time in a decade! We'll be pairing it with Trial by Jury, one of his first collaborations with W. S. Gilbert, in a double bill in St Giles' Church.

These are two very short, very silly operas, making this a perfect introduction to the world of comic opera.

Cox and Box follows Cox, a hatter, who works all day, who lives in the same apartment as Box, a printer, who works all night. Neither of them are aware of the other, as their landlord ensures that they never meet. After Cox gets a surprise day off from his employer, the two tenants discover one another and the landlord’s scheme falls to pieces.

Trial by Jury follows Angelina, who, after being left at the altar for another woman, takes her revenge by suing her ex-fiancé, Edwin, attempting to claim damages. With a judge and jury clearly biased in her favour, will she be successful in her endeavours, or will Edwin weasel away with his pockets no lighter?