All-male Iolanthe

I first went to see @allmaleiolanthe @WiltonMusicHall in 2011. One of my friends had seen it in Time Out and suggested we all go on a Wednesday evening. I've always liked Gilbert and Sullivan but it was The Mikado and The Pirates of Penance (both of which have received the all-male treatment) which I was most familiar with. I sat in the beautiful faded glory of Wilton's, heard the first strains of the music on the piano and then became captivated by the show.

 I loved it so much that I went back 4 times over the following 10 days eager to see it as much as I could before the end of the run.  It's hard to put my finger on what exactly was so special about that show for me, but I'm going to try.

It definitely doesn’t hurt that the score for this opera is truly beautiful. While it’s challenging for any singer, to hear it sung by incredibly talented young men who are able to stretch their vocal talents to sing as both fairies and lords, is truly something else. The staging and costumes adding the framing device of a boarding school production, added a certain illicit and cosy feel of a midnight feast; a shared secret occasion.

The other thing that really made this production different is that as well as the laughs (it’s a comic opera after all) there’s a real emotional through line for Iolanthe. Whilst some of the other characters are frivolously falling in and out of love on all sides, in this version you NEVER doubt Iolanthe’s love for her husband or son. That fact that this is played out with sincerity, despite some of the hilarious situations that surround it, is what made this show a real highlight for me. It’s not easy to balance comedy and tragedy, emotion and drama but when it’s done right you can end up with that crying laughter you get where something has really touched you.

It was such a great production in a magical setting and there was something about it that just made me so happy each time I went

In 2011, the moments I loved, quite apart from all the above included lots of little moments that just felt right – the mirror pond, the signing choreography, sock suspenders, the look of outrage following an accusation of “shocking taste”, the union jack bunting, the fairy tale apple.

And oh, that kiss.

This year it’s coming back on tour and I’m very excited to see it again, as you can probably guess from my incessant tweeting.

http://www.rdww.co.uk/iolanthe/

I hope it will ignite the same magic for someone else as it did for me 7 years ago.