Amazon.com: Even by the unreal standards of Gilbert and Sullivan, Iolanthe is a fanciful piece of work, in which Fairyland meets the House of Lords. Needless to say, the lords--a superbly dimwitted bunch--don't triumph. The title character was once banished from the fairy kingdom, and now she returns as the marriage of her son, Strephon, is imperiled by Parliament. Mixing satire with ethereal fantasy (though the fairies are earthly enough to have a taste for men in authority), all set to a lush score, the piece holds together miraculously.
This version is not ideal, with lots of mugging and condescending to the material. There are failed stabs at cleverness, such as a witless pseudo-newsreel that marks Strephon's run for Parliament. Still, the charm of the piece comes through. Kate Flowers as Strephon's fiancée, Phyllis, is a delight; she sings radiantly and conveys the driest possible blend of modesty and narcissism. As the Queen of the Fairies, Anne Collins puts her weighty contralto to good comic use. She is commanding but endearing, especially when she sings amorously to the fire captain.
Part of the Opera World series of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas made for television, this one has the strengths and weaknesses of an uneven series. Visual and sound quality are muddier than they should be, and, for better or worse, the operettas are presented without the updating that's frequently done, just as Gilbert wrote them, obscure references and all. --David Olivenbaum
Big fun in fairyland This is one of the 1982 series of G&S productions produced by the BBC. Some of the special effects look cheesy, but of all this series I thought it translated best to the screen.
I loved the Act I finale, with the Peers all misinterpreting the relationship between Strephon and his eternally youthful fairy mother ("Her age upon the date/ of his birth was minus eight/ if she's seventeen and he is five-and-twenty!")
And of course, the Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song was terrific.
In all, a great introduction to this gem of an opera.
Overshadowed Gem Iolanthe is often overlooked in the Gilbert & Sullivan lexicon by Pirates, Mikado, Pinafore, etc. But to my taste Iolanthe is one of the most bouncy scores and this production does not disappoint. It greatly helps with understanding to know something about the British government and the staging helps clarify some of that. The singing is good to excellent and the humor comes through. I showed this to three mid-teenagers and they all thought is was "good" to "cool" to "awesome." That is not to say it's for an unsophisticated audience, it is to say it is accessible to all -- I enjoyed it as much as they did.
5 Stars for The Real Gilbert and Sullivan This review is mostly written for people who don't know "Iolanthe" because over here in America the musical isn't very famous and is seldom put on. I only learned about it myself by accident several years ago when it was produced by a local college in my area. I went to see it without knowing anything about it nor even having heard anything about it. I was bowled over by the genius of the music, comedy, story, humor and everything about this masterpiece as portrayed by the college music and drama students!
After seeing the play at the college, I started looking for CD music and VHS tapes and DVD's of Iolanthe. Apparently there are only TWO versions on video --- VHS or DVD---this one and one done in Canada by "The Stratford Festival Company". I have both of these. Is this one and the Stratford any good? Some reviewers apparently think not. But, the play---the words and music--- are "almost indestructable" in my humble opinion because of the genius of the two creators, Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan. Of course, the present versions----"they could be better" in this aspect or t'other. But, I am grateful that there are ANY video versions of this masterpiece available at all! Buy one or t'other of these...don't be too critical ("the glass is half full rather than half empty" type of attitude), listen to the music and the clever words, and I know you'll enjoy!
Afterword: One part of the musical play that I thought was especially funny and clever is the song, "Loudly Let The Trumpets Bray". This is the song and music when the arrogant lords, who are really silly things, come arrogantly marching on stage with their Beefeater Costumes and their noses arrogantly in the air. As they march on stage they sing: "Bow ye tradesmen bow ye masses, bow ye lower middle classes." They are acting as though they are "superior" to these "masses" thus telling the masses to bow to them---the Lords of The House of Lords. And, of course, these "noble lords" are actually very silly and stupid! The effect of being told to "bow" to these silly guys is very funny I assure you! :o) Email Boland7214@aol.co
A Fine Iolanthe The Opera World Gilbert and Sullivan DVD series is a definite mixed bag, but this is one of the strongest entries in it. While not on the level of PATIENCE, THE GONDOLIERS and THE SORCERER, the video is a solid interpretation strongly cast. As usual, the chorus and Orchestra perform well and Alexander Faris moves things along nicely at the podium. Luckily, there are no cuts except for a slightly abbreviated overture. The production has its definite pluses (Strephon's attempted suicide, the not-so dainty fairies hanging their wings out to dry and smoking cigarettes) and it's minuses (cheesy, overused superimposed special effects, the staging of the Act two Finale.). As for the infamous news reel, I feel it's a funny, workable gag, but it resembles a Benny Hill gag a bit too much for my taste (though Alexander Oliver is a joy to watch in this segment. His facial expressions are hysterical.) Out of the performers, high marks go to Anne Collins' Fairy Queen, at her usual standard of beyond exemplary every line reading and phrase spun to perfection, and Kate Flowers, a completely charming Phyllis. She is a beautiful woman with a wonderfully expressive face, and her dialogue is delivered with apt humor. Musically, she is beyond reproach; I fell in love with her on sight. Also extremely effective is Derek Hammond-Stroud as the Lord Chancellor. A mainstay in the patter parts, he is in much better voice than he was in PATIENCE, and the lower tessitura of the role suits his Bass-Baritone better. He is very apt and dry in the dialogue. It's incredible to think that he also was ENO's leading Alberich in Wagner's RING for years, because the pathos he gives to the Lord Chancellor's legalistic troubles ("Can a man give his own consent to marry his own ward, etc?") is so keenly felt along with the humor. We have David Hillman's expressive vocalism and foppish delivery put to good use as Tollollor, but Thomas Hemsley is too light for Mountararat. The same problem sets with Alexander Oliver's Strephon. He is a tenor rather than the usual lyric baritone. Though tenor John Fryatt made an effective Grovesner in PATIENCE, and I've heard effective Strephons who are tenors, but Oliver does not have the required heft, and he doesn't have the vocal power for most of the role. In his favor, the two dues with Phyllis and "In babyhood, upon her lap I lay," the meat of the role, go over very well. He's very, very funny in his spoken passages and he's an appropriate screen presence. When Strephon is transformed into a dark-suited, monocle-wearing MP He does a brilliant spoof on british bureaucratic figures. As the tilter Iolanthe, Beverly Mills has a very attractive Mezzo, but the unrewarding part of Iolanthe does not offer many vocal high points with the exception of the exquisite "He loves" and she is only passable in the dialogue. Richard van Allen, a great Basso, is luxury casting as Willis (a Bass part too often given to Baritones) and what a pleasure it is to see two major sopranos as Lelia and Celia: my old favorite Sandra Dugale (who also was Patience, Rose Maybud and Casilda in the series) and Pamela Field (who was a leading soprano with the D'Oyly Carte in the early seventies and who recorded the role of Phyllis with them.) are both delightful. Judi Trott (an uncredited member of the chorus) speaks her lines as Fleta well. All in all, a highly entertaining, worthy version with many attractions. 4/5
The best possible? No. But, let's be honest it's the only one out there. (Oh, for a sharp focused digital one! Sharp audio would help too.) If nothing else, my buying it might (hopefully) encourage a new one. But, I was impressed by the zeal of the cast, they were very infectious; it was all I could do not to join right in.
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