Cast & Crew of The Savoy Company's 2018 performance of Iolanthe at The Suzanne Roberts Theatre. (Photo credit Helga Yang)
Iolanthe ~ A Fairy Tale for the Entire Family at Longwood Gardens!
“After the highly successful run at The Suzanne Roberts Theatre, The Savoy Company will present Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera Iolanthe under the stars on stage of the Open Air Theatre amid the tranquil beauty of Longwood Gardens [1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348] featuring gorgeous, professionally designed set pieces, beautiful costumes, & a professional orchestra. Two evening performances will delight the audience on June 8 & 9, 2018 (8:30 pm). ALL DAY ADMISSION TO THE GARDENS IS INCLUDED. Note the Rain Date policy - http://www.savoy.org/Tickets.asp
Savoy is heading to Parliament in Iolanthe!
Join us for Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on May 18 and 19 and Longwood Gardens Open Air Theatre on June 8 and 9.
Tickets for performances of Iolanthe on June 8 and 9 at Longwood Gardens Open Air Theatre are on sale now!
All tickets are $29 with a $4.50 processing fee per ticket
Cast:
The Lord Chancellor: Ross Druker
Earl of Mountararat:: Bob Binkley
Earl of Tolloller: Tom Faracco
Private Willis (of the Grenadier Guards): Guillermo Bosch
Strephon (an Arcadian Shepherd): Phoenix Fritch
Queen of the Fairies: Susan Weinman
Iolanthe (a Fairy, Strephon's Mother): Rachel Sigman
Celia (a Fairy): Amber Englebert
Leila (a Fairy): Elise Bjordammen
Fleta (a Fairy): Kara Beck
Phyllis (an Arcadian Shepherdess and Ward of Chancery): Alize Rozsnyai
The Savoy Company is the oldest amateur theatre company in the world dedicated solely to the production of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan.
About the Show
Iolanthe, or, The Peer and the Peri, the seventh collaboration between G&S, opened in London at the Savoy Theatre on November 25, 1882. This comical operetta recounts a conflict between the immortal fairies and the mortal peers. It lampoons both the English House of Lords and the idea of political parties but in such bouncy, amicable absurdities that only G&S can bring.
Strephon, an Arcadian shepherd, wants to marry Phyllis, a Ward of Chancery. Phyllis does not know that Strephon is half fairy (his upper half — his legs are mortal!) and when she sees Strephon kissing a seemingly young woman, she assumes the worst. But her “rival” turns out to be none other than Strephon’s own mother, Iolanthe, a fairy (fairies never grow old) who had been banished for marrying a mortal. But Phyllis’ guardian, the Lord Chancellor, and half the peers in the House of Lords are all sighing after her. Soon the peers and the fairies are virtually at war until a solution is found.
Peter Hilliard returns for his sixth season as music director and Bill Kiesling, in his fourth season as stage director, adds his signature subtle twist by envisioning Iolanthe as a fairy tale. Take note of his homage to several Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales intertwined with this classic G&S tale.
Proceeds from our 2018 production benefit Chester Children’s Chorus.
Watch the Savoy company sing a special Gilbert & Sullivan rendition of the Philadelphia Eagles Fight Song!
Arrangement by Peter Hilliard
A Philadelphia tradition supporting local charitable organizations since its founding in 1901, The Savoy Company is a 501(c) (3) non-profit educational organization. It is the oldest amateur theater company in the world dedicated solely to the production of the 13 surviving immortal operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.
In 2017 The Savoy Company performed Gilbert and Sullivan’s dazzling H.M.S. Pinafore. The show was fully staged and feature a gorgeous, professionally-designed set, beautiful costumes, and a professional orchestra.
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Celebrating more than 100 years of Gilbert and Sullivan.
