Review: Gilbert and Sullivan's PRINCESS IDA - Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History

By: Jul. 27, 2016
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Photo courtesy of
The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston

There is a generally held belief that one is either a Gilbert and Sullivan aficionado or one is not. Personally, I don't hold with that kind of thinking. I believe that there are various sub-groups. There are those who have a nodding acquaintance with THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, usually the movie or the Broadway production. There are those who are familiar with, or at least have heard of, H.M.S. PINAFORE and THE MIKADO. And then, finally, there are those who sing the praises of IOLANTHE, or even PRINCESS IDA, the current production of THE GILBERT AND SULLIVAN SOCIETY OF HOUSTON at the Wortham. For this audience, one has only to mention D'Oyly Carte to set them salivating. But it is to the first group that I address this review.


"Gilbert and Sullivan?", you might say. "Who are they? What are their last names? Are they some kind of alternative rock band, or perhaps a rap duo?"

The librettist W.S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan were the Tim Rice and Elton John of late-Victorian England, penning hit after hit for the London stage in the form of comic operettas such as those mentioned above. They were rock stars in frock coats. Their stock in trade was an idea they called "topsy-turvy," which took the most ordinary concepts and turned them upside-down to great satirical and comic effect. They elevated the humble pun to the unabashed peaks of folly, and made wordplay an Olympic event.

So let's take a look at the work at hand, PRINCESS IDA. Written in 1883, the operetta satirizes two of the hot topics of the day, Darwinism and feminism. Now anyone who has kept up with the political primaries of late should instantly recognize that these topics, now going on 133 years old, are as current today as tomorrow's breaking news. The parody is broad and unmistakable; "politically correct" then, not so much now.

A quick breakdown of the action begins at the court of King Hildebrand (Joe Carl White), where they anxiously await the arrival of King Gama (Alistair Donkin) and his daughter Ida (Megan Stapleton), who was betrothed to Hildebrand's son, Hilarion (Joshua La Force), when they were mere babes. Gama arrives with his three hulking sons, but no Ida. It seems his daughter has established a university for women, where men are considered an inferior species, and co-mingling and marriage are strictly forbidden. This sits ill with King Hildebrand, who declares he will hold Gama and his sons hostage until Ida agrees to the conditions of the betrothal.

Meanwhile, Prince Hilarion and his two stalwart companions, Cyril (Stuart Aron) and Florian (Dennis Arrowsmith), decide to infiltrate Ida's academic stronghold to see what they can find. Once there, they see plenty and, flushed with the idea of all that female pulchritude at their fingertips, decide to disguise themselves as women and join the school for young ladies. Since they all three already sport shoulder-length pageboy haircuts, the transformation is easy enough, but not all that effective in appearance. Still, they consider themselves quite fetching and engage in a merry romp reminiscent of THE MIKADO'S "Three Little Maids." They meet one of the students, Lady Psyche (Mary Lieberman), and their cover is soon blown. She in turn goes to plead with her mother Lady Blanche (Sarah L. Lee) to keep the men's secret. Lady Blanche, second-in-command to Ida, harbors a keen desire to be first, and recognizes that if Ida marries Hilarion, she will be left in charge. This appeals to her, and she agrees to help the course of true love run smoothly.

Anon, Ida bumps into Hilarion, who manages to bumble his way into her heart, but she steels herself to resist and vows to fight to the death. With the help of her brave and unyielding band of lady soldiers, of course, which turn out to be not quite as unyielding as she had hoped.

The ending I will leave for you, except to say that it is a happy one, of course. Topsy-turvy and all that, you know.

There are several things absolutely necessary to any successful production of Gilbert and Sullivan. The ability to sing, and sing well, is understood, and here the company does not disappoint. In fact, they delight. But that is not enough. They must sing and recite the most ridiculously outlandish material as if they were doing KING LEAR. Absolute, straight-faced dedication to the idea of topsy-turvy must be adhered to at all times. There must be no self-awareness. Again, no problem. The company shines in this endeavor. The only deviation comes when someone - the director, one supposes - decided to insert several contemporary terms and names into the dialog. They get the desired laugh, but for this reviewer, this well-meaning commentary on the timeliness of the play is distracting and breaks the rules. Or at least bends them.

Diction is paramount. As the satire depends on pun and wordplay, both the puns and the wordplay must be crisp and clean; the audience must be able to understand it without faltering. In this, the company is aided by running signs on either side of the stage, spelling out the dialog as it plays. A couple of times this came in handy, but for the most part the cast acquitted themselves well. My one quibble was with the volume, both of the orchestra in the pit and of the singers onstage. I kept wanting to turn it up, especially during the bombastic chorus numbers. I like my bombast with a lot of "bomb."

Special kudos to the principals for their voices and musicality, especially Stapleton as Ida. Her clear soprano rang like the proverbial bell and left me wanting more. All in all, the performance was a triumph. Director Alistair Donkin kept things going at a brisk pace, and sets, lighting and costume were top-notch. The audience went out humming the songs, which is the idea. I'm still humming them.

So Gilbert and Sullivan fan or no, I'd say give it a shot. After all, what else are you going to do on a Houston summer evening when the temperature reaches OMG degrees with humidity to match? Do yourself a favor, and take a dip into a cool operetta. The Wortham Theater Center is air-conditioned for your comfort. Enjoy!

Edited by Natalie de la Garza


PRINCESS IDA continues on July 29, 30 and 31. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Wortham Center/Cullen Theatre, 501 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002. $53.00 - $28.00. For more information or to buy tickets, please call 281/724-8363 or go online at tickets.houstonfirsttheaters.com.

Run time is approx. 3 hours, with two intermissions. Recommended for general audiences.



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