Editing Gilbert and Sullivan (section)

====''Princess Ida''====
{{main|Princess Ida}}
[[File:William Russell Flint - W. S. Gilbert - Savoy Operas - Princess Ida 6.jpg|thumb|300px|''Princess Ida'', Act II Finale: Hildebrand and soldiers rush through the gate.]]
''Princess Ida'' (1884) spoofed [[women's education]] and [[male chauvinism]] and continued the theme from ''Iolanthe'' of the war between the sexes. The opera is based on [[Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson|Tennyson]]'s poem ''The Princess: A Medley''. Gilbert had written a [[blank verse]] farce based on the same material in 1870, called ''[[The Princess (play)|The Princess]]'', and he reused a good deal of the dialogue from his earlier play in the libretto of ''Princess Ida''. ''Ida'' is the only Gilbert and Sullivan work with dialogue entirely in blank verse and is also the only one of their works in three acts. [[Lillian Russell]] had been engaged to create the title role, but Gilbert did not believe that she was dedicated enough, and when she missed a rehearsal, he dismissed her.<ref>Stedman, pp. 200–201</ref>

''Princess Ida'' was the first of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas that, by the partnership's previous standards, was not a success. A particularly hot summer in London did not help ticket sales. The piece ran for a comparatively short 246 performances and was not revived in London until 1919. Sullivan had been satisfied with the libretto, but two months after ''Ida'' opened, Sullivan told Carte that "it is impossible for me to do another piece of the character of those already written by Gilbert and myself."<ref name=Carpet/> As ''Princess Ida'' showed signs of flagging, Carte realised that, for the first time in the partnership's history, no new opera would be ready when the old one closed. On 22 March 1884, he gave Gilbert and Sullivan contractual notice that a new opera would be required in six months' time.<ref>Jacobs, p. 187</ref> In the meantime, when ''Ida'' closed, Carte produced a revival of ''The Sorcerer''.<ref>Ainger, p. 236</ref>