Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1959-03-25

Both Gilbert and Sullivan
were highly successful in theil
Individual endeavors but on the
results of their twenty year
collaboration which began in
London in 1871 rests their
greatest fame. Since this was
Victorian England their plays
had to conform to and not flaunt
the strict sensibilities of the
time. Whereas now a ibrettist
and composer might use four
letter words and unpalatable
sentiments to convey their ideas,
Gilbert and Sullivan restricted
their works to lively witticisms
and comical spoofs of establish
ed institutions. Their numerous
joint successes include Patience.
H. M s. Pinafore, The Pirates
OF Penxance, Trial by Jury. and
The Gondoliers. Many Of these
operettas had runs in London
SOiilPdf dOiS W Tic PlSSSAl
Broadway success Of My Fair
Lady. and touring companies
travelled the English provinces
playing to packed houses. Gill
bert and Sullivan, with their
impresario Richard Dolly Carte
who built the Savoy Theatre in
London primarily to house their
creations, came to the United
States to produce The Pirates of
Penzancc. Many of their works
had already been produced here
in unauthorized versions.
The gifted collaboration of
the two was broken after a
quarrel about business transac-
tons with D'Oyly Carte. Gilbert
was also miffed by the fact that
Queen Victoria had knighted
Sullivan and passed him by.
Separately they still produced
good theatre and memorable
songs. Sir Arthur Sullivan COM
posed much well known music,
including Onward, Christian
Soldiers" and The Lost Chord"
He particularly hoped to be re-
membered by what he consider
ed one of his supreme accom-
plishmentS, the opera Ivanhoe
but today il is never heard while
the tunes from the co-authored
operetta of which he was slight
ly scornful have universal APP
peal. Gilbert continued a tradi-
ton of witty verse for which he
was famous and was finally to
hear the words Arise. Sir Will
liam Gilbert" from Buckingham
Palace in 1907, seven years after
his collaborator's death
It is the words and music of
these two highly gifted artists
that form the frothy gaiety that
is The Mikao. Gilbert has given
us lyrics very witty, tongue
twisting, and Of pin-point accur-
acy while Sullivan has created
a musical score OF quiCkneSS,
lightneSs, comic exaggeration,
and satire. The whole combines
to make The Mikado, or The
Town of Titipu. which it is
whismically subtitled, delight
full theatrical evening. Neither
man knew Japan, but they saw
its fantasies and foibles through
minds which glittered with i'm
agination, all the while poking
fun at some of the things held
dear by a rather prudish Eng
land.
The Tabor City Chorus is do
ing a fine job in bringing us a
work of such fortnight fun and
magnitude. If the portly Gilbert
and the meticulous Sullivan
could enter the auditorium dur
ing rehearsal, they might be
chagrined knowing that they
would receive no financial COM
pensation for this production of
their work, for they wrote with
a profit movie in mind. But they
would be pleased that their lit
tie triviality' as Sullivan would
call it, is giving great amuse-
ment to the cast in rehearsal
and will give great pleasure to
the audience during perform
ance.