Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-30
"IOLANTHE."
Something about the Opera which wirChris
ten our New Theatre.

"Iolanthe, or the Peer and the Peri, =
IL n clever satiere on the "red tape"
formality which pervades English af-
fairs of state. The scene ofillustrati0n
is taken from the House of Lords,
where the Chancellor, surrounded by
Knights OF the Garter and other ap-
pendages of an effate monarchy, delib-
erateIy and formally discusses the mo-
nrutous question as to whether he,
the Lord Chancellor, having fallen in
love with I,hiHis. his ward in chan
Gerry, "can legally give his own consent
10 his own marrige TO his own ward
or II he marry without his consent,
can he commit himself for contempt of
his own court and IL committed, can he
appear bv counsel before himself and
move for arrest of his own Judgment
The introduction of FAIRIES, among them
.Iolanthe, y who furnishes the title of
the opera. gives strong contrast to
the preceding scenes and makes the
ponpous peers Of Britain seem more
absurd than ever. Considerable local
interest Is given to the libretto by q
familiarity with the meaning of some
OF the phrases and illusions IN the
opera. "Rickford,n for instance, Is an
over England. "Banbury'' ana "Threc
Corner are particular species Of tortst
dear To ool-boys. The full force of
the fairy queens appeal to Mr..
Shaw,n chief OF the London fire brig
AIDE, Is seen when 1t II known that lac
Is II gentleman Of high standing in so-
cieiy, the personal friend of the Prince
Of Males, and n landowner OF eonsid-
Nj ". H.. la IL
about as follows;
Iolanthe Is II fairy compelled to
dwell at the bottom of n stream fol-
having married u mortal. The Oh
spring Of her union, Strephon, Is ,
fairy down to the waist, but from The
waist downward he h. "a gibherin!
IDIOT "AIy body" ho says, "cai
creep through keyhoie but what,
the good of that when my legs art
left kioking hehindp7 He loves and
isIoved by Phyllis,a ward IN chancefy
for whose hand the Lord Chancellor
himself Is suitor. The fact that he
has To ask his own permission tomarry
her involves him in delicate Der.
pleNity. Meanwhile he forbids the
"Afcadian Shepherd Strephou, to
look upon her az his; but she informs
In dlgniied procession on, the stage,
that she cannot accept their addresses.
When they have left, Strophon has IA
meeting with his mother, whose as
sistnuee he implores. Being fury,
lolanthe IL endowed with eterna,
youth and Strephon, being seen with
her, Is therefore accused OF iniidelity.
In vain he explains that this "maid Of
II, rs the ipeers call her, is his moth
en-, and has been ever since his birth.
Phyllis herself becomes jealous, and
declares she will now marry one of
the peers. Slrephon calls upon the
winged fairies 10 prove his ancestry.
They Tip upon the stage with their
queen, who talks about curling herself
into a buttercup, swinging upon q
eobweb, and dtsing into dewdrop.
She has the misfortune 10 be taken Tor
the proprietor Of young ladies' sem
mary, and in revenge predicts that
Strephon shall sit in the next parla-
ment, that earldoms and peerages
shall be sold for three penny, and IA
dukes exalted station be attaipable by
competitive examinations