AN early opera written by Sir Arthur Sullivan is to be revived for one night at Cheltenham Town Hall on Saturday, September 21.

The Contrabandista is Sullivan's first two-act comic opera and has not been performed professionally since 1880, having been thought long forgotten.

Better known for his collaboration with WS Gilbert and the hugely popular operas they wrote like HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado, Sullivan's earlier opera was previously overshadowed.

The plot of The Contrabandista revolves around a band of Spanish brigands that must appoint a stranger as their chieftain.

An English tourist lost in the Spanish hills has to take the job and finds himself embroiled in a story of comic turns.

The production is sponsored by the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, with around 100 of its members travelling from across the UK to attend.

The show is bringing together soloists from a selection of opera companies in the UK, with the music being performed by The National Concert Orchestra and conducted by Malvern-based David Steadman and with Cheltenham's Cotswold Savoyards providing the chorus.

The show includes the short but hugely popular Gilbert and Sullivan masterpiece, Trial By Jury, and an orchestral rendition of Fantasia Number 2.

The performance will begin at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available from the box office on 01242 227979.