h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The great gift to the world from G&S is that their operettas are beautifully suited to the worls of Amateur Dramatics, for one very good reason - it is arguably the only form of the performing arts where physical beauty is unneccessary.

There is always a male and female lead who fall in love - they are not the most attractive however, they are who they are because they can sing / screech the highest. All other characters (matriarchs, generals, politicians, policemen etc. are required, BY PLOT to be plain at best, and preferably downright ugly!

This is why G&S remain popular into the nineties!

Not forgetting that the songs mainly pass the 'old grey whistle' test - you come out whistling the jaunty little numbers.

I think that criticism is misplaced when people say the songs are re-cycled in every operatta. I know what I like. So if I like it, I want to hear it again. Adding new/different words/characters/silly situations to the lyrics while keeping the tune largely untouched is exactly the level of change I can cope with in the 90s as the <illenium is upon us.

Hurrah for the oily card and his lyric two!