Henry IV, Pt. 2 is a play by William Shakespeare. It is a history play. Shakespeare's source was "The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland" by Raphael Holinshed. It was probably first acted on 3 March 1592. It was probably first printed in 1594.
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a play by William Shakespeare. It is a comedy. Shakespeare's source was "Suppositi" (1509) by Ludovico Ariosto. George Gascoigne's play "Supposes" (1566) may have also been used. The play was probably first acted between 1593 and y first printed in 1623 in the First Folio. The musical, "Kiss Me Kate", was based on the play. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton made a movie of the play.
Timon of Athens
Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare. It is a tragedy. Shakespeare's source was probably "The Misanthrope" by Lucian. "Timon" was probably first acted between 1607-1608. It was probably first printed in the First Folio of 1623.
Iolanthe
Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri is an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the seventh of the team's fourteen operettas. It opened at the Savoy Theatre on 25 November 1882. It had a run of 398 performances. It is the first of the operettas to have its first performance at the Savoy. The story is about a group of immortal fairies who find themselves on a different side as the House of Peers. The opera makes fun of many parts of British government and law.
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a three-act operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the eighth of their fourteen operettas. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London, England on 5 January 1884. It had 246 performances, a short run compared with the team's other operettas. After the operetta closed, it was not revived in London until 1919.
Gilbert based "Princess Ida" on a play he wrote in 1870 called "The Princess". This play was based, in turn, on "The Princess", a long poem of 1847 by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. "Ida" is the only Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in three acts. It is their only operetta to be written in blank verse.
"Princess Ida" was a great success with early audiences, but the critics did not like it. Sullivan told Gilbert three weeks after the opening that he would not write another comic opera, and it appeared their collaboration was over. "Princess Ida" has its roots in the work of a poet little read today, and its themes are somewhat dated. The operetta is not a modern audience favorite.
In her babyhood, Princess Ida was betrothed to Prince Hilarion. In her young womanhood however, she has forsaken the company of men and has set up an all-female university. Hilarion and two of his friends, Cyril and Florian, gain entrance to the school disguised as women. They are discovered, and war ensues. As the casualties mount, Princess Ida relents and accepts Hilarion as her husband to be.
The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the third of their fourteen operettas. It opened in London at the Opera Comique on 17 November 1877. It ran for 178 performances. The play is about the effects of a love potion on the residents of an English village.
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is one-act operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the second of their fourteen collaborations and their earliest work still performed today. It opened at the Royalty Theatre in London on 25 March 1875 with Jacques Offenbach's "La Périchole" and the farce, "Cryptoconchoid Syphonostomata".
"Trial by Jury" moved about to several different theatres. It was performed about 300 times in its first two years. It was a popular and a critical success. It is only about 45 minutes long, has only one act, and has no spoken words.
"Trial" is about a young man who is sued for jilting his bethrothed. The judge hearing the case decides to marry the young woman himself. Today, it is sometimes played with another Gilbert and Sullivan operetta such as "H.M.S. Pinafore".
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard, or The Merryman and his Maid is an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was first performed on 3 October 1888. It had 423 performances. It is the eleventh of fourteen operettas written by Gilbert and Sullivan. Unlike their previous operettas, "Yeomen" is darker and more serious in its tone and atmosphere.
Thespis
Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old is an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the first of their fourteen operettas. It was commissioned in 1871 by John Hollingshead, manager and owner of the Gaiety Theatre in the Strand. It was not well rehearsed, and lasted only 65 performances. It was generally well received by the critics.
"Thespis" takes place on Mount Olympus and tells of a theatrical company which takes over the duties of the ancient Greek gods. Most of the music has been lost, making it impossible to reconstruct the operetta.
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a two-act operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the fifth of their fourteen operettas. The London premiere was 3 April 1880 at the Opera Comique. It ran for almost a year, closing on 2 April 1881. It had 363 performances.
Gilbert, Sullivan, and their manager Richard D'Oyly Carte arrived in New York in October 1879 to present an authorized version of "H.M.S. Pinafore". During this time, Sullivan continued work on the team's next operetta, "Pirates", and completed it on 28 December.
In order to secure the American copyright, the operetta premiered in New York City at the Fifth Avenue Theatre on 31 December 1879. Sullivan conducted.
The operetta was a great success.
In order to secure the British copyright, the operetta had been performed at the Bijou Theatre in Paignton, Devon, the day before the New York premiere on 30 December. The singers wore their costumes from "Pinafore" (they were performing this operetta in nearby Torquay) and sang from hand-written sheets of music newly delivered from the United States.
American director and producer Joseph Papp adapted the operetta for summer performances in Central Park, New York City, in 1980. The production was then staged on Broadway and in the West End with great success. In 1983, a movie version of the Papp adaptation was released, starring Angela Lansbury, pop singer Linda Ronstadt, and Kevin Kline.
The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe's source is unknown. It is possibly a forgotten story, or he may have studied Jewish life first-hand in London. The exact date the play was written is uncertain. It is certain though that it was written no earlier than December 1588. It was first printed in 1633.
The play is unbalanced; the first two acts show a masterful hand while the last three do not. The character of Barabas, the Jew, is a portrait of depth in the first two acts, but he descends to nothing more than a typical stage villain in the last three. One critic believes the play was ordered on short notice by the players, and Marlowe had only enough time to sketch the character of Barrabas.
Doctor Faustus
The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe. It is a tragedy. Marlowe's source was "The English Faust Book" of 1592. The play was first performed about 1592. It was first published in 1604. It tells of a scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for youth, power, knowledge, and wisdom. The play contains the well known line, "Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships?" The play was released as a movie in 1967 starring Richard Burton.
Dido Queen of Carthage
Dido Queen of Carthage is a play by Christopher Marlowe. It is a tragedy. The date of the play is uncertain. It is probably Marlowe's first play, and possibly written while he was a student at Cambridge University. The source material was Virgil's "Aeneid" and Ovid's "Heroides". Unlike his sources however, Marlowe emphasizes not the character of Aeneas but the character of Dido.
Edward II (play)