Iolanthe by Gilbert and Sullivan A Concert Performance

Music Director: Brian Chapman Accompanist: Jo Miller Shepherd Following its acclaimed tour of The Marriage of Figaro, Park Opera returns with a concert performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s delightful operetta Iolanthe. This ingeniously witty and magical operetta is a tale of forbidden love between fairies and mortals – peers of the House of Lords, no less! Strephon is the half-fairy, half-mortal son of the fairy Iolanthe and has fallen in love with Phyllis, a ward of the court. But for them to marry, Phyllis needs the Lord Chancellor’s permission, which is going to be tricky as he hopes to marry her himself – as do half the house of Lords! Join us deep in the forest to follow the young lovers, immortal fairies, and some very lost politicians as they attempt to survive mishaps, mischief, and mistaken identities. It’s Gilbert & Sullivan at their satirical best, poking fun at power, privilege and parliamentary democracy, including a thinly disguised portrait of Queen Victoria herself in the guise of the formidable, but fallible, Fairy Queen! Bursting with glorious hit tunes, and suitable for all ages, it is sure to leave you laughing and whistling all the way home. The superb soloists include popular favourites Ian Henderson as the Lord Chancellor, George Priestley as Strephon, Lucy Dickson as Phyllis and Diana Vivian as The Fairy Queen, and a host of other stars, as well as Park Opera’s splendid chorus.