Iolanthe

I saw this one it came out, but forgot the story long ago. I have the songs on an LP and there are some great ones, but watching this as a full musical I'm struck by how poor most of the first act is. The lyrics are often clever, but they're not generally that funny, certainly not in comparison with something like The Mikado. And the story seems rather slapdash.

Still, there are some good songs and some cute choreography. And things pick up notable in the second half, which includes The Chancellor's Nightmare Song and In Vain to Us You Plead.

The special effects are amusingly bad, the singing is uniformly good, and overall it's more fun than not.

I always have loved Gilbert and Sullivan, for their wonderful, catchy music, memorable characters and witty lyrics and dialogues, who more than makes up for the occasionally daft stories. I found this D'Oyly Carte Iolanthe intoxicating, and one of the better D'Oyly Carte G&S productions alongside Cox and Box and Patience, better than HMS Pinafore, Pirates of Penzanze and Yeomen anyway.

Visually, it is quite charming. The costumes and sets are certainly handsome, and while not amazing the effects are better than average. Iolanthe rising from her watery sojourn is an effective touch. The choreography has some clumsy moments, but again some nice moments like the fairies with their wings out to dry and the fairy struggling to keep up with the others that add some light-hearted entertainment to the proceedings. The dialogue is suitably witty, the chorus apart from some flatness in the processional scene are well-balanced and pitched and not too static, the orchestra play stylistically and beautifully and the conducting not too rushed and dragging.

The performances are great. Alexander Oliver may turn some heads as Strephon, especially as it is a baritone role rather than a tenor role, but I found him quite fun, far better than his Frederick in Pirates of Penzanze. John Helmsley may lack a little bit of resonance for When Britain Really Ruled the Waves, but otherwise sings and characterises well. David Hillman is likewise excellent, and Derek Hammond-Stroud is an exemplary Lord Chancellor. Kate Flowers is a charming Phyllis, and Richard Van Allan's Willis luxurious casting. Anne Collins's Queen of the Fairies is superb. The little bits of business are never too overdone.

All in all, an intoxicating Iolanthe. 9/10 Bethany Cox

When I bought this video, I had no idea what this opera was about, not to mention no idea what the music was like. I bought it because I was, and still am, a big fanatic of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. So this video was my first exposure to this particular opera. I enjoyed this video more than I had some of the previous videos I bought (H.M.S. Pinafore for example). The cast delivers a wonderful performance, especially Derek Hammond-Stroud in the role of the Lord Chancellor. Though I prefer the D'Oyly Carte recording with John Reed as the Lord Chancellor, Hammond-Stroud gives a strong performance along with most of the other cast members. The only member of the cast I didn't care for was Alexander Oliver in the role of Strephon. I just can't figure out why they cast a tenor in a baritone role. Not only that, he also kind of "overacted" a bit during some of his dialogue scenes. Another complaint is that a member of the chorus of peers was noticeably flat, which made the processional song sort of uncomfortable to listen to. Over all, however, it's a wonderful production with many strong points which more than compensate for its few faults.

As a fullblown Gilbert and Sullivan Fan, I found this version of the opera rather strange. The cast was good, Kate Flowers (Phyliss) and Anne Collins as the Fariy Queen were standouts. The effect were really bad though, And I just don't like Good old Derrik in the part of the LC. The sets were imagentetive, but weird.

This production of Iolanthe was one of a series produced by the same people.

I liked it a lot, despite the use of some "special effects" that are supposed to be magical and fairy-like and which look, after 25 years, rather dated. This is probably because of the lively performances of the leading members of the cast.

The first-act finale was great, and the nightmare song in the second act was handled in an interesting way that worked pretty well. However, "If you go in," the famous trio that follows it, looked awkward. At least until they all got going and the joy of the music outweighed the strange staging.

All in all, it was a very entertaining performance.