Iolanthe
Iolanthe is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. Their seventh operatic collaboration, it tells the story of Iolanthe, a fairy banished from fairyland because she married a mortal, her son Strephon and Phyllis, whom Strephon and all members of the House of Peers wish to marry. A misunderstanding occurs when Phyllis sees Strephon hugging Iolanthe – not knowing that she is his mother – sets off a climactic confrontation between the peers and the fairies. The opera satirises many aspects of British government, law and society. Iolanthe premiered at the Savoy Theatre to a warm reception, running there for 398 performances, with a production in New York opening at the same time. This image shows the cover of piano transcription of Iolanthe by Ernst Perabo, produced in Boson, United Sates, in 1887.Poster credit: G. H. Walker & Co.; restored by Adam Cuerden

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