Best Sullivan
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Gilbert and Sullivan’s *The Mikado* is a celebrated operetta originally staged in 1885. It presents a satirical reimagining of Japanese society through an English-language work. The opera's enduring popularity stems from its clever wit, memorable melodies, and skillful blend of parody and genuine th...
“The Pirates of Penzance is a satirical operetta by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan first presented in 1879. It’s notable for its clever use of mistaken identities and witty lyrics within the framework of swashbuckling pirates. The work explores themes of legal absurdity and romantic disillusionme...
H.M.S. Pinafore, a comic operetta by W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, premiered in 1878. The work’s remarkable success—achieving a lengthy 571 performances in London—established Gilbert and Sullivan as leading figures in British operatic tradition. It utilizes satire to explore themes of socia...
The Yeomen of the Guard is a 1888 operetta by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. It’s notable for its darker tone compared to many of their earlier works, exploring themes of betrayal and murder within the confines of the Tower of London. The story centers on a soldier's attempts to clear his wrongly...
Iolanthe, composed by W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, premiered in 1882 as a significant operetta within the Savoy tradition. It’s notable for being the first theatre production to utilize full electric lighting onstage, revolutionizing theatrical presentation at the time. The work employs sat...
Gilbert and Sullivan’s *The Gondoliers* premiered in Venice in 1889. This operetta blends English verse with Venetian settings and characters, offering a satirical look at bureaucracy and romantic folly. The work's enduring popularity stems from its clever musical score by Sullivan and witty librett...
Gilbert’s Patience, premiered in 1881, offers a satirical look at the Aesthetic movement’s pursuit of beauty divorced from practicality. The operetta utilized innovative electric lighting at London's Savoy Theatre, marking a significant moment in theatrical history. Sullivan’s music and Gilbert’s wi...
Gilbert and Sullivan’s *The Sorcerer* is a satirical operetta from 1877. It features witty dialogue and fantastical elements centered around a man attempting to transform himself into a prince through magic. The work's success spurred the creation of *H.M.S. Pinafore*. It is primarily for audiences...
The Getty Tomb is Louis Sullivan's 1890 Graceland Cemetery mausoleum, commissioned by Henry Harrison Getty for his wife Carrie Eliza Getty.
The Wainwright Tomb is Louis Sullivan's 1892 mausoleum in Bellefontaine Cemetery, built for Charlotte Dickson Wainwright in St. Louis.
Ruddigore is a comic opera by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan that premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London in 1887. The work parodies Victorian melodramas, particularly those featuring supernatural elements and family curses. Originally titled 'Ruddygore,' the name was changed after some considere...
Princess Ida is a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera that premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London in 1884. Based on Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem 'The Princess,' it is unique in the Gilbert and Sullivan canon for being structured in three acts rather than the typical two. The opera tells the story of...
"Cox and Box" is a one-act comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by F. C. Burnand, premiered in 1866. Adapted from an 1847 farce by J. Maddison Morton, the plot revolves around a landlord who fraudulently rents the same room to two men—one working day shifts and the other night sh...
"The Rose of Persia; or, The Story-Teller and the Slave" is a two-act comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by Basil Hood. It premiered at London's Savoy Theatre in 1899 and became a notable success there following several less successful Savoy productions after "Utopia Limited."...
The Beauty Stone is Arthur Sullivan's 1898 romantic musical drama, notable as his shortest-running opera, with only 50 Savoy Theatre performances.
Arthur Sullivan composed this cantata in 1886 for the Leeds Festival, basing it on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem and achieving immense popularity in late Victorian England.
Utopia Limited is an 1893 Gilbert and Sullivan Savoy opera satirizing limited-liability companies and late Victorian imperial culture.
Haddon Hall is an 1892 English light opera by Arthur Sullivan and Sydney Grundy, a post-Gilbert Savoy work on Dorothy Vernon's elopement.
Arthur Sullivan composed this biblical oratorio in 1869 for the Worcester Festival, using text from the Gospel of Luke to depict the parable of the prodigal son returning home.
Arthur Sullivan composed this dramatic oratorio in 1880 for the Leeds Festival, adapting Henry Hart Milman's tragic poem about the early Christian martyr Saint Margaret of Antioch.
The Grand Duke is Gilbert and Sullivan's final Savoy opera, premiered in 1896 and remembered as their partnership's only financial failure.
Arthur Sullivan composed this sacred oratorio in 1873 for the Birmingham Festival, depicting the earthly life of Jesus Christ to establish his reputation in serious choral music.
The Contrabandista is an 1867 two-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand, Sullivan's first produced full-length opera.
