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The Pittsburgh Savoyards present Iolanthe
October 15, 2023 @ 2:30 pm
October 13 – 22, 2023
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm | Sundays at 2:30 pm
Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe (originally produced in 1882) presents a conflict between two very different worlds.
On the one hand, we have the world of the immortal fairies – all female, somewhat trippy and chaotic, and ruled by a queen; on the other, we have the world of British parliamentary peers – all male, stodgy and precise, and subject to the law as interpreted by the Lord Chancellor. The opera presents a political satire wrapped around a love story: the fairy Iolanthe’s half human son Strephon loves the Lord Chancellor’s ward Phyllis, but the Lord Chancellor wishes to marry her to a peer. The fairies come to Strephon’s aid, install him in parliament, and cast a spell on the other members of parliament to make them pass any law Strephon proposes. The plot winds up as you’d expect, with the lovers reunited. Along the way, we get any number of satirical digs at the British system of law and government.
Music Director – Guy Russo
Stage Director – Michael McFaden