Our show for 2003 was Iolanthe. It took place at 7:30 pm in the Corn Exchange, Ipswich between November 12th and 15th (including a matinee on Saturday, at 2:30 pm).
Our version of Iolanthe had a new overture. Why? Well, as our MD explains:
"Those of you already familiar with Iolanthe might feel that the overture you hear at this performance is not what you were expecting. If that is the case then you are correct - it is a new one written earlier this year. From some of the letters received after our previous shows I realise that one or two of you will feel that this has irrevocably ruined proceedings, but let me assure you that this will not trouble me in the slightest! If you read on, you'll see why...
So - why write a new one? What was wrong with the old one? Well, there's nothing wrong with the old one - it's a very fine overture indeed - but I just felt like doing something that we hadn't done before. Our productions over the years have gained a reputation for being innovative, and replacing the overture will be something new for us. Not only that, but it puts Ipswich on the map: I am reliably informed that Sullivan wrote much (if not all) of his Iolanthe overture at Ipswich railway station, and to replace it with another overture written in Ipswich (although not at the station, it has to be said) must be a first!
The purists amongst you may consider that this sort of thing is not really on, but one important fact should be borne in mind: Sullivan did not write all of the now-familiar overtures to the Savoy Operas. In fact, the first performance of Iolanthe in the USA was preceded by an overture composed by the conductor of that performance - Alfred Cellier. Iolanthe is packed full of good tunes - too many for one overture - and I think that some of the others deserve a chance to be heard first every now and then! I hope that you agree..."
The opera opens with the fairies dancing in their Arcadian glade, celebrating their dainty abilities. However, their rapture is modified when they remember that their favourite member was banished from their order and is now serving out a sentence of penal servitude for life, which she has chosen to serve at the bottom of a stream. Their Queen (one of the classic Gilbertian battleaxes) reminds them that, had it not been for her surpassing love, then Iolanthe would have been sentenced to death. And what was her crime - to marry a mortal! The fairies appeal to the Queen to release Iolanthe, and the Queen eventually agrees.
Iolanthe then introduces her son, Strephon who is only half a fairy (the upper half!), since half of him takes after his mortal father. Strephon reveals that he is engaged to be married to Phyllis, a Ward in Chancery but that the Lord Chancellor refuses to let them marry. To help overcome this, the fairies dream up a plot to place Strephon in Parliament as a fairy Member.
The House of Peers are then introduced, and it transpires that the Lord Chancellor himself (as well as most of the House of Peers) also wants to marry Phyllis! The situation appears resolved when Phyllis sees Strephon talking to his mother, who appears only seventeen, and breaks off the engagement to him, deciding to marry a Peer instead. The fairies respond to his request for help by carrying out their threat to send him to Parliament.
The second act (as is often the case with G&S) sees all this complexity resolved. Phyllis is persuaded that Iolanthe really is Strephon's mother, all the Peers find happiness in new found friends, and everyone lives happily ever after!
Gilbert and Sullivan wrote Iolanthe in 1882 - their 7th collaboration (or 6th if you ignore Thespis, which most people do). Both were now extremely wealthy - they earned twice as much as Gladstone, the Prime Minister. Gilbert had just had the latest technology installed in his new mansion - a telephone! He decided he would use it to connect to the Savoy Theatre and listen to the shows.
During its writing, Gilbert planned and changed much. He told the world it was to be called Perola, but then changed it to Iolanthe at the last minute. Strephon was originally to be called Corydon (which would have given us "Phyllis and Corydon", as mentioned in "Merrie England" and was a pairing from the classics). He originally planned that the male chorus would be barristers of the Northern Circuit. In its earliest form, Strephon had been "The Fairy Curate". However, he eventually settled on the plot line we now have, and posted it to Sullivan to set to music.
As ever, Sullivan's immediate instinct was to put the libretto to one side and continue with his social life. However, the death of his mother on 27 May set him back, and he managed to distract his mind by writing music for Iolanthe. Despite that, the music was late as always - Gilbert was rehearsing Act 2 at the end of September, by which time Sullivan had still written little of the music for Act 1. However, it was still ready to open on November 27 - just 3 days after Patience had closed its run of 578 performances.
Iolanthe provided two "firsts". It was the first Gilbert and Sullivan Opera to open at the Savoy theatre - previous ones had opened at the Opera Comique, so it could be argued that it is the first real Savoy Opera. It was also the first to open in both Britain and the USA on the same night - part of the drive against piracy of their material.
As with most of their shows, it received widespread acclaim and a little criticism. It ran for 398 performances.
The cast in Act 1 costumes and Scenery
And now Act 2
The Peers bemoan Strephon's effect on Parliament
The Chancellor has a nightmare...
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The Queen of the Fairies. To (mis) quote Wellington
- "I don't know what
she does to the enemy, but she terrifies me" |
Private Willis referring to the antics
in Parliament |
Phyllis celebrating her betrothal to Mountararat and Tolloller
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Iolanthe reassures Strephon
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Phyllis and Strephon celebrate their engagement.
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Well - something must have surprised the Lords and the Ladies!
The Fairies celebrate taking over Parliament
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Principals |
The Company |
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Ladies |
Gentlemen |
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