Revel in Faerie Mischief with Iolanthe

What fools these mortals be!  From Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Sarah J. Maas’s 2015 fantasy novel A Court of Thorns and Roses, we humans seem to be perpetually drawn to faerie romance!  Enter Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1882 comic opera Iolanthe.  Each of these works utilize a clash between the mortal and immortal worlds—specifically playing with ideas of love between humans fae—to critique societal structures. 

In Iolanthe, the central conflict arises because the fairy Iolanthe marries a mortal, incurring the death penalty under strict fairy law. Her resulting offspring is a half-human, half-fae who struggles to woo his beloved only for her to discover his immortal mother looks to be a girl of 17, when he is a lad of five-and-twenty!  Hijinx ensue!  Iolanthe further skewers the hypocrisies of the British courts and Parliament, which aren’t too far off from the absurdities of our own governmental excesses.

The Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company are back for their fall show at The Conn Theater, at Plymouth Congregational Church on Nicollet Avenue South, in Minneapolis. Iolanthe is yet another delightful showcase of vocal talent across a wide range of cast members.  Many of the cast are regulars. These productions are clearly labors of love, and it’s always great to see how much fun everyone is having on stage… right down to the original composition that welcomes audiences while reminding them to silence their cell phones!  The show runs for another two weekends, through the 23rd. Tickets are available here.  If the cozy Conn Theater isn’t quite comfy enough for you, the GSVLOC will livestream the performance on November 20.  Tickets for that are available here! 

Photo credit: Stephen Hage