My late father was incredibly well read. I have these memories of him, from when I was really young, wandering around the den by his stuffed bookshelves on Sunday mornings with a cup of laced coffee, occasionally affecting a British accent and intoning aloud, for my sister's and my benefit, excerpts from one poem or another.

"Under the spreading chestnut tree the village smithee stands," was one; and "Ten thousand saw I at a glance / Tossing their heads in sprightly dance" was another; and of course, as he got older, "Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight / Make me a child again just for tonight!"

But my favorite  — indicating that, even as a post-toddler I was morbid as hell — was a hearty paean to cannibalism called "The Yarn of the 'Nancy Bell'" that included "When I ups with his heels, and smothers his squeals / In the scum of the boiling broth." Fantastic!

The latter was composed by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert — yes, he of Gilbert & Sullivan notoriety — and I think of this whenever some theatrical or musical troupe comes through the area doing material from their operas. Of course, "Nancy Bell" ISN'T a Gilbert & Sullivan song, but I suppose it could somehow be incoporated into a show of their work by some visionary director.

We probably won't hear "smother his squeals" Saturday when the Connecticut Gilbert & Sullivan Society perfoms at the La Grua Center in Stonington. But the concert, called "We've Got a Little List of Some Songs You Can't Resist," is aptly titled. Virtually ANY G&S song is irresistible, and the programs by this estimable outfit are routinely excellent. Hint: expect material from one of the pair's most popular works, "The Mikado."

Connecticut Gilbert & Sullivan Society, 5 p.m. Saturday, La Grua Center, 32 Water St., Stonington; $10, free for ages 18 and under; (860) 535-2300.