Gilbert and Sullivan: The (not so happy) end of an epic opera partnership | A Motley pair (5/5)

Simon Butteriss examines how a quarrel over the cost of carpet proved fatal to Gilbert & Sullivan's relationship and how the new D'Oyly Carte fell while the Savoy Operas triumphed.
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Gilbert and Sullivan are synonymous for British operetta. This celebrated collaboration has been one of the most successful in music history and yet most music lovers outside the English speaking world just about know of "The Mikado". Of Sullivan's more serious work little or nothing is known and even in the UK almost non of it is performed today. But the operettas resulting from the collaboration with the gifted poet W. S. Gilbert have achieved fame through the D'Oylo Carte company and its successors, the Carl Rosa Opera Company. Time for a close look at what made this unique couple tick.
Simon Butteriss’s in depth look at the works of Gilbert & Sullivan is brought to life in this five part documentary, including commentaries from Michael Ball, Germaine Greer and Dr Jane Glover. Musical and dramatic excerpts illustrate the narrative in addition to some important archive footage and specially recorded performances by our own repertory company, including world renowned G&S soloists like, of course, Simon Butteriss himself.
Original title: "Gilbert and Sullivan - A Motley pair (5/5): Deputy Deities"
Written and presented by Simon Butteriss
Directed by Tony Britten
Produced by Capriol Films
© 2010, licensed by Poorhouse International

[@lekmirn.hintern8132]

Wow. I'm a long-time G&S fan, and I'd never heard of this. It's terrific. Thanks!

[@StevenTorrey]

Very informative! I can assure you the San Francisco Lamplighter's production of Gilbert & Sullivan are greatly appreciated and well received.

[@Edkins460]

Been looking for this for years. Thank you so much for uploading!

[@oldcremona]

Thank you Simon Butteriss! Your enthusiasm and talent do indeed gild the philosophic pill.

[@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311]

Truly a fizzing and frothing documentary which captures the effervescent joy of it. Simon is such a scandalous old luvvie - I can't think of a better person to take us by the hand and lead us jauntily - and winking - down the (garden!) path! I really did find the closing scene highly inventive, fresh and frabjous - novel and contemporary - and unmistakably G&S.. thank heavens for the endless wit and blithe charm that just awaits rediscovery by each successive generation - or iteration including all-male productions! I am completely sure neither Arthur Sullivan nor Willy Gilbert would have had the slightest problem with that - in fact quite the opposite; right up to - and including - use of their music by Bad Show Tunes' New York vaudeville version where the Major General patter song was used to create a quite new interpretation "I am the very model of a modern Homosexual" - I think they would have been thrilled 😁🥰

[@robertwhittaker5477]

The finale of Act II of 'Utopia, Ltd.' which ends this final part of the series is the only instance of Gilbert supplying a text for music which had already been composed by Sullivan. Other than on this one occasion the practice had always been that Sullivan composed music to set a libretto previously written and provided by Gilbert, - and Gilbert objected vehemently to having to provide a new set of words for music which had already been composed for his earlier text, which was ultimately considered to be unsatisfactory. He finally agreed to do so with a very bad grace, grumbling that the results would be "nothing but mere doggerel". Ironically, it isn't only in this instance that the item which then followed has been cited as an illustration of the extent to which his satirical capacity went far deeper than merely surface appearances; in a recent programme in the series "The Listening Service" on BBC Radio 3 Tom Service used it specifically as his conclusion to illustrate the extent to which both Gilbert and Sullivan were prepared to hold up to question - and inspection - the 'otherwise unexamined' assumptions of Victorian society.

[@deewesthill6966]

The only time i ever saw a D'Oyly Carte production, of The Pirates of Penzance, in contrast to one of that show i had seen and loved at an outdoor arena, Redlands Bowl near San Bernardino, CA, it seemed quite stilted and mechanical. Both of those were way back in the 1960s. The last G&S show i attended was on Leap Year Day 2020, Frederick's birthday of course, it was a free-admission sing-along version of TPOP and i sang along with the entire show effortlessly, having never performed in that or any G&S show, it was only because it is something deeply beloved that i've never forgotten, eternally imprinted on my mind and emotions.

[@deewesthill1213]

A gateway drug to grand opera.

[@mb3503-o4e]

Wonderful

[@stevenlight5006]

Wonder,,full 😅

[@deewesthill6966]

Barataria is from Spanish barato, meaning "cheap".

[@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311]

That makes it even funnier😄 Thank you!

[@tomshea8382]

Utopia is Gilbert's show. Grand Duke is Sullivan's. And Grand Duke is WAY underrated.

[@lekmirn.hintern8132]

You're basically right, BUT -- It's GRAND DUKE's score that's underrated. The book really is crap. (Gilbert called it his "ugly misshapen little brat" whom he 'had no desire to ever to see again'.) (UTOPIA, on the other hand, has a fascinating book that needs a lot of work, but is daring and unique; and a score that's half very good and half the worst thing Sullivan wrote with Gilbert.)

[@user-sn8zm7un4u]

HELLO, first of all thank you for this wonderful series, veery informative and enjoyable. In this episode you show a piece from an all male production at 17.20 Could anyone please tell me from which production and which opera it is from and who sings - if he does? is it dubbed? thank you for any replies, FE

[@stevenlight5006]

Yes age does teach ,g an s were shown to me as a late 40s high school performance.G.anS. are the best...