Iolanthe

I first saw this version of Iolanthe in college, and to me, this is ultimate version.

Every year, in Canada, there is something called the Stratford Festival, which is a theatrical festival where they put on several of Shakespeare's plays. Apparently, they find the time to throw in some Gilbert and Sullivan occasionally.

In my mind, Iolanthe is the best of the G&S operettas. It is witty, engaging, and the music is superb. This production has very clever scenery and an excellent cast (though an occasional Canadian accent is disconcerting). As another reviewer mentioned, they take extreme liberties with the words to several songs, changing them to make topical references to Canadian politics, which are incomprehensible to an American, almost 20 years after the fact. Still, a few of the references still work and I actually prefer them to the actual lyrics.

The only thing which mars this almost perfect performance is Eric Donkin, who plays the Lord Chancellor. For whatever reason, he seems to view himself as a beloved theatrical figure, and is CONSTANTLY hamming it up, and shamelessly playing to the audience. I've checked the database for some of his other work, assuming there must be some reason for his behavior, but there is almost nothing significant listed for him, which makes his behavior all the more irritating.

Please note, that this is the absolute BEST of the Stratford Gilbert and Sullivan productions. The other two that are available: "The Mikado" and "The Gondelliers" are both unwatchable.

First, the music and the singing and the costumes and stategecraft were fantastic, everything the previous reviewer said.

But...I sometimes wasn't sure whether I was listening to Gilbert & Sullivan or Sullivan & someone else.

It's very common for Gilbert and Sullivan companies to pop in a few contemporary references now and then. But here they went overboard. The early moviemakers learned that what works OK on stage, such as gag references about the politicos of the day, doesn't always work in the more permanent form of film. Same for video. I might have gotten some of the jokes if it were still 1984 and I were Canadian, but they didn't survive time and national borders.

For instance, in here the Fairy Queen originally sang the praises of one "Captain Shaw." Gilbert didn't explain who that was, and a new viewer might be confused. But informed Gilbertians say it was the Savoy Theater's fire marshal. This could be left alone and explained in the liner notes. It's not a joke anymore, but it is Gilbertia. But nooooo. This production replaces it with what might have been a real thigh-slapper in 1984. She sings about the BBC and someone named "Nolte Nash."

Who?

My point precisely.

Having to explain something Gilbert wrote in the libretto may be worth it as history. Having to explain something a rewrite man wrote for one production surely isn't.

The subject matter of Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, of course, makes it a target for innuendo which is to be expected but, in this production, a modern camp sensibility is all-pervasive. I think this wink, wink, aren't-we-naughty approach is all wrong here even if it leads to a few easy laughs.

I was less bothered by the anachronistic tap-dancing numbers than the rearrangements of Sullivan's music as well as Gilbert's words. On the DVD, they were obliged to put in a glossary of the topical changed references and I, for one, miss dear old Captain Shaw and Ovidius Naso. ("O CBC" isn't funny unless you're Canadian.)

The harp is usually thought of as a celestial instrument but most of the time, the harp interpolations were not my idea of heaven. I enjoyed Maureen Forrester but she was really over the top a good part of the time and the business with the stagehands didn't do much for me either.

Again, a total lack of trust in the material is evident in this production.

I read scathing reviews of this Stratford production, and on the strength of these, didn't buy it for a while. Then I saw on Youtube a clip of the fairies tripping hither and thither in the opening chorus, and immediately rushed to order the dvd. In this production, the fairies and peers actually know how to dance, and it adds so much to the performance. There are some slight liberties taken with lyrics (eg the mother of a man of five and twenty becomes the mother of a man of 25, sir) but nothing to really upset a normal person. The singers' diction is very clear throughout, which I found to be a very large plus. There is a bit of unexpected, thoroughly enjoyable dancing thrown in, with a great bit of tap following the "If you go in" trio, which purists apparently disapprove of, but I loved it There is a bit of nonsense with stage hands, but so what. This sort of thing happens in other productions, too.The deviations from original libretto are few, and didn't detract from the spirit of the thing in the slightest. I totally recommend this version-it is my favourite out of my six Iolanthe dvds

Which is saying a fair bit, as although I will re-watch them, as it has been years since I saw them, and hope that my opinion changes I remember not caring all that much for the Stratford Mikado or Gondoliers(haven't yet seen Pirates of Penzance). Iolanthe is not perfect and is not going to appeal to everybody. The dialogue is updated and lacks wit and flow at times, consequently the satire doesn't always work as well as it should. The great "When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte..." line is now something related to the Falkland war and it is nowhere near as funny, instead it is utter drivel at best. There are also some new references that I think feel dated and irrelevant now. The dance routines are spiritedly danced but gets too much and the choreography itself is very anachronistic, the same goes for the overdone magic tricks. The acting at times also lacks nuances, especially Eric Donkin as the Lord Chancellor who is often very hammy. It is almost as if it relies too much on the comic elements of the operetta and not enough on the drama. However, there is more to a production of an opera/operetta than fidelity to a source or staging, and there are actually some good things here. The costume and set designs do look beautiful and creative, and the sound and picture quality are decent if occasionally muffled or out of sync(noticeably the skip in the middle of Act 1). Even with the liberties with the score, the orchestral playing is buoyant apart from a well played but over-used additional harp, the conducting does show a respect for Gilbert and Sullivan's style and the chorus are vibrantly sung and don't mug or are static too much. The singing is very good as well, Maureen Forrester is a witty and beguiling Queen of the Fairies, and while subtlety is not a strong suit for Eric Donkin he does show a good voice and lots of character. Paul Massel sings with sincerity and good vocalisation but also has an accent that has a tendency to grate. The rest of the singing is solid. All in all, disappointing and will delight or infuriate. As for me, I'm somewhere in the middle. 6/10 Bethany Cox