Iolanthe

Creation

Less than a fortnight after Patience opened at the Savoy Theater, Gilbert had a rough idea for a new operetta. It would poke fun at the House of Peers. Gilbert took advantage of the controversy surrounding the hereditary nature of the House of Lords: “with a House of Peers composed exclusively of persons of intellect, what’s to become of the House of Commons?” asks an Earl. When Sullivan set this new operetta to music there was no sting in Gilbert’s jibes.

Sullivan had a great deal of difficulty composing the music to this new operetta. His mother had just died, two days before he had to start writing the music. He’d compose all through the night, and scrap most of what he’d written in the morning.

For the fairies in Iolanthe, Gilbert designed electric wands, that flickered on and off on a darkened stage. These special effects had never been seen before on a Victorian stage.

As usual, three weeks before the premiere, Sullivan still hadn’t finished the music. He still had a long duet to do, and the whole overture. Iolanthe opened November 25, 1882 at the Savoy Theatre.

Plot Synopsis

Act One of Iolanthe opens on a chorus of fairies. They admit that Fairyland has not been quite the same since Iolanthe was banished for marrying a mortal 25 years ago. The Fairy Queen cannot understand why Iolanthe chose to live in the bottom of a stream, instead of any pleasant place in the world. The fairies appeal to their Queen, asking her to pardon Iolanthe, and the Queen reluctantly agrees. She summons Iolanthe and pardons her. Iolanthe remarks that she has a son, who is a fairy down to the waist and a mortal from the waist down. His name is Strephon, and he is a shepherd.

Strephon visits them, and tells them that today he will marry Phyllis, a ward of Chancery – without the Lord Chancellor’s consent. The Queen offers her aid to him. “Shouldst thou be in doubt or danger, peril or perplexity, call us and we’ll come to thee.”

The House of Peers all are so struck by Phyllis that they applied in a body that she should be given to whichever Lord she desires. The Lord Chancellor agrees, even though he is in love with her himself. She is summoned, but refuses because “Ah, my heart is given!”

When they learn that she loves Strephon, they send him off. His mother comforts him. One problem with this is that Strephon’s mother is immortal, so she looks like she is seventeen even though she’s much older than that. So when the peers with Phyllis sneak back onstage, they see Strephon apparently flirting with a young girl of seventeen. He tells them she is his mother, but they don’t believe him. Phyllis renounces him, and engages herself to one of two Earls. Strephon calls in the fairies, who are insulted by the Lords Chancellor. The Fairy Queen goes into a rage:

“Henceforth, Strephon, cast away,
Crooks and pipes and ribbons so gay---
Flocks and herds that bleat and low,
Into Parliament you shall go!
…Every bill and every measure
That may gratify his pleasure,
Though your fury it arouses,
Shall be passed by both your houses…”

Act two opens on some random guy named Private Willis singing about how he thinks it’s funny that everyone is either liberal or conservative. Then the Peers express their fury at Strephon, while the fairies praise him. But wait—“Don’t go.” they tell the Peers.

The Peers do go, however, leaving the fairies alone with their Queen, and Private Willis. Apparently he’s used to fairies, because he certainly doesn’t comment. The Queen sings a song about how she is on fire with love for Private Willis, and asks the Fire Brigade to put her out. She tells the fairies, who are in love with the Peers, to wrestle with their emotions like she has, because it is against the fairy law to marry a mortal.

The Lord Chancellor sings a long song about a nightmare he had about Phyllis. The two Earls relinquish their claim to Phyllis, in favor of the Lord Chancellor.

Strephon finally tells Phyllis that he is half a fairy. She realizes that she has made a mistake, and the lady he was talking to really was his mother. They are reconciled, and Iolanthe welcomes her daughter-in-law. But they have forgotten somebody -- the Lord Chancellor.

The Lord Chancellor is considering himself engaged to Phyllis. Phyllis, Strephon, and Iolanthe do not know that. Strephon wants his mother to plead for him. Iolanthe then reveals that the Lord Chancellor is her husband and Strephon’s father. The Lord Chancellor had been made to believe Iolanthe died childless, 25 years ago. She is bound under penalty of death not to undeceive him. In the end she agrees to plead for her son. The Lord Chancellor says that he is engaged to Phyllis. Iolanthe reveals herself in order to make her son happy. Just as the Fairy Queen is about to kill Iolanthe the fairies stop her.

“Leila: Hold! If Iolanthe must die so must we all; for as she has sinned, so have we.
Queen: What?
Celia: We are all fairy duchesses, marchionesses, countesses, viscountesses, and baronesses.
Lord Mountarat: It's our fault. They couldn't help themselves.
Queen: It seems they have helped themselves, and pretty freely too. You have all incurred death! But I can't slaughter the whole company…”

The Lord Chancellor thinks that inserting a single word in the Fairy Law would fix their dilemma. How about "every fairy shall die who doesn't marry a mortal."?

The Queen agrees, and marries Private Willis, and away everyone goes to Fairy Land.

Reception and Knighthood!

Iolanthe was a success in England and America. It ran for 14 months, or 400 performances. In 1883, in the middle of Iolanthe's run, Sullivan was knighted. This really annoyed Gilbert, who felt he was being ignored. In fact, Sullivan's knighthood had nothing to do with the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Queen Victoria didn't appreciate such "trifles". It was Sullivan's serious works, his oratorios and religious music, coupled with his work as a conductor that were the reasons he was knighted.