Editing Iolanthe (section)

==Background==
[[File:Iolanthe Programme.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Programme from 1883 during the original run]]
[[W. S. Gilbert]] presented his basic idea for a new opera to [[Arthur Sullivan]] in October 1881. Gilbert's earliest ideas for the story of ''Iolanthe'' originated in his ''[[Bab Ballads|Bab Ballad]]'', "The Fairy Curate": "Once a fairy / Light and airy / Married with a mortal".<ref>Ainger, p. 215</ref> The fairy marries a "prosaic" attorney and bears him a son. After her son grows up, she visits him on Earth, but she is mistaken for his lover, since fairies perpetually appear young and beautiful.<ref name=Crowther158>Crowther, p. 158</ref> Sullivan found the premise funny, and Gilbert set to work on fleshing out the story. By December, he had written some lyrics for Sullivan to look at, but he struggled with the plot for several months, whereas he had dashed off earlier operas in a matter of weeks.<ref>Ainger, pp. 204–205; Bradley, p. 358; and Crowther, pp. 167 and 170</ref> During these months, Sullivan took an extended trip to Egypt, Italy and elsewhere. Upon his return to London in April 1882, he moved into a new home; in May, his beloved mother died rather suddenly.<ref>Jacobs, pp. 172–173</ref> By the end of July 1882, Gilbert had supplied Sullivan with lyrics to several of the songs, and Sullivan began work setting them to music. Over the next two months, Sullivan met Gilbert to discuss the libretto as more lyrics were completed. Music rehearsals began in September, and staging began in October, scheduled around performances of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s previous opera, ''[[Patience (opera)|Patience]]'', which had transferred to the [[Savoy Theatre]] a year earlier.<ref>Crowther, pp. 167–169</ref> Sullivan was still composing more numbers for the opera until 20 October, with a few modifications continuing into early November. Uncharacteristically, Sullivan composed the overture himself, instead of assigning it to an assistant.<ref>Ainger, pp. 211–215</ref> Two casts rehearsed simultaneously, as the opera was to open on the same night in London and New York City, a historic first for any play.<ref>Bradley, p. 357</ref>

Gilbert had targeted the aristocracy and political officials for satiric treatment in earlier works. In this opera, the [[House of Lords]] is lampooned as a bastion of the ineffective, privileged and dim-witted, whose only qualification to govern is noble birth. The political party system, the law and other institutions also come in for a dose of satire. Throughout ''Iolanthe'', however, both author and composer managed to couch the criticism among such bouncy, amiable absurdities and "splendid pageantry" that it is all received as good humour, with Prime Minister [[William Ewart Gladstone|Gladstone]] complimenting the opera's good taste.<ref>Crowther, p. 171; and Bradley, pp. 357–358</ref> In fact, Gilbert later refused to allow quotes from the piece to be used as part of the campaign to diminish the powers of the House of Lords.<ref>Bradley, p. 416</ref>

Although titled ''Iolanthe'' all along in Gilbert's plot book,<ref>Tillett ''et al.'' 1982, p. 5</ref> for a time the piece was advertised as ''Perola'' and rehearsed under that name. According to an often-repeated myth, Gilbert and Sullivan did not change the name to ''Iolanthe'' until just before the première.<ref>Baily 1952, p. 209</ref> In fact, however, the title was advertised as ''Iolanthe'' as early as 13 November 1882 &ndash; eleven days before the opening &ndash; so the cast had at least that much time to learn the name. It is also clear that Sullivan's musical setting was written to match the cadence of the word "Iolanthe", and could only accommodate the word "Perola" by preceding it (awkwardly) with "O", "Come" or "Ah".<ref>Tillett, ''et al.'' 1982, pp. 6&ndash;7</ref> [[Henry Irving]] had produced a [[W. G. Wills]] adaptation of ''[[King René's Daughter]]'' in London in 1880, under the name ''Iolanthe'', and in October 1882 Gilbert asked his producer, [[Richard D'Oyly Carte]], to request Irving's permission to use the name. It is not known whether Irving replied.<ref>Ainger, pp. 212–13; and Bradley, p. 364</ref>

''Iolanthe'' premiered only three days after ''Patience'' closed at the Savoy. The Savoy Theatre, opened only a year earlier, was a state-of-the-art facility, the first theatre in the world to be lit entirely by electricity. ''Patience'' had transferred to the Savoy from the [[Opera Comique]], upon the theatre's opening, but ''Iolanthe'' was the first show to premiere at the theatre. New lighting technologies made such special effects as sparkling fairy wands possible for the first time.<ref>[http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/SavoyTheatre.htm "The Savoy Theatre, Strand, WC2"], ArthurLloyd.co.uk, retrieved 25 October 2018; and Davis, Carol E. [http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2014/6/Recordings/SULLIVAN_%C2%A0Iolanthe.html "Sullivan: Iolanthe"], ''[[Opera News]]'', June 2014, Vol. 78, No. 12, retrieved 26 July 2015</ref><ref>Burgess, Michael. "Richard D'Oyly Carte", ''The Savoyard'', January 1975, pp. 7–11</ref> The principal fairies' heads were also lit by wreaths of small illuminated stars attached to a battery.<ref>[http://www.doylycarte.org.uk/operas/iolanthe ''Iolanthe''], D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, retrieved 26 July 2015</ref> The audience that attended the opening night in London included Captain (later Captain Sir) [[Eyre Massey Shaw]], head of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, whom the Fairy Queen [[apostrophe (figure of speech)|apostrophises]] in the second act ("Oh, Captain Shaw / Type of true love kept under / Could thy brigade with cold cascade / Quench my great love, I wonder?"). On the first night [[Alice Barnett]], as the Queen of the Fairies, sang the verses directly to Captain Shaw, who was sitting in the centre of the [[Stalls (theatre)|stalls]].<ref>Ainger, pp. 216–217</ref>

The opera's premiere was received by an enthusiastic audience and earned critical praise,<ref>Ainger, p. 217</ref> although there was general agreement that the second act needed some trimming.<ref>Crowther, p. 170</ref> ''Iolanthe'' became the fourth consecutive major success for Gilbert, Sullivan and their producer, Richard D'Oyly Carte, following ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' (1878), ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' (1879) and ''Patience'' (1881).<ref>Ainger, pp. 145–225</ref> Increasingly viewing his work with Gilbert as frivolous, beneath his skills and repetitious, Sullivan had intended to resign from the partnership with Gilbert and Carte after ''Iolanthe'', but on the day of its premiere, he received a letter from his broker, Edward Hall, notifying him that Hall had lost all his money, including £7,000 of Sullivan's investments, the bulk of his fortune.<ref>Ainger, pp. 199 and 217</ref> Sullivan's lifestyle was not inexpensive, and he was helping to support his late brother's large family,<ref>Hayes, pp. 8–9</ref> as well as his mistress, [[Fanny Ronalds]], and her family.<ref>Barker, John W. [http://www.madisonsavoyards.org/Public/reference/gsbio.php "Gilbert and Sullivan"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723140938/http://www.madisonsavoyards.org/Public/reference/gsbio.php |date=23 July 2008 }}, Madison Savoyards.org (2005), retrieved 12 April 2009</ref> He soon concluded that the only certain way to restore his financial security was to continue writing [[Savoy opera]]s. On 8 February 1883, he signed a new five-year creative partnership agreement with Gilbert and Carte; Gilbert was already at work on their next piece, ''[[Princess Ida]]''.<ref>Ainger, pp. 218–219</ref> On 22 May 1883, Sullivan was [[Knight Bachelor|knight]]ed by [[Queen Victoria]] for his "services ... rendered to the promotion of the art of music" in Britain.<ref>Ainger, p. 220</ref>