Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan (Revised)

Have you ever had trouble with the lyrics on a videotape or DVD recording of a Gilbert & Sullivan opera? Or have you ever wanted to quote a line from one of those operas, and needed an authoritative citation? Well, your search is over. For here is the complete text of every one of Gilbert and Sullivan's operas. You can read along as you listen to your favorite recording of "The Mikado" clarifying any muffled lines - and noting where the modern production's lyrics deliberately deviate from the original (portions of which either are no longer socially acceptable, thank goodness, or else have lost their comedic relevance for to a post-Victorian audience). And, at long last, you can provide that authoritative citation for any quotation you take from Gilbert and Sullivan's original text. This truly is an indispensable reference for fans of Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical social commentary. Eric Alan Isaacson P.S. I note that a new annotated edition is available, with scholarly commentary by Ian Bradley: The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan. Bradley's may prove to be the definitive edition.

When I compare this edition of the libretto to the Ian Bradley edition of the collected librettos (Oxford), I find that this has more weak points compared to the Bradley book. Of course, both books suffer from inaccuracies in the libretto, but here is a more serious case. Also, the print of the book is a little bit hard to read, because of its age from many years ago. The Bradley book seems to be easier. Yet even despite these shortcomings I am happy to know that you can still sing along to ANY G & S song in here, or find your favourite passage, be it from MIKADO, PIRATES or PINAFORE, or any other opera. But this book still has two advantages to it - containg the librettist's drawings, and its cheaper price compared to the Bradley book. As well as the libretto for the never-before-heard THESPIS opera. Overall, while I am prepared to recommend this to the true Savoyard, I am not really prepared to recommend this to a beginner, except those who cannot afford to spend more money on the Bradley book. Still, this edition is an easy one with which you can live.

Back in prehistoric times when records were brittle things and only came in one speed, 78 RPM's, one of my mother's favorite albums was "H.M.S. Pinafore." She played it frequently. Too young to understand the satire, I was attracted by the catchy music. I loved to hear the captain sing "I am the Captain of the Pinafore," immediately followed by the response of the chorus. This plus "Poor Little Buttercup" and "The Ruler of the Queen's Navee" made a fan of me for life.Several years later, and after having attended performances of several of these comic operas, I began to read Gilbert's lyrics. I must confess that I got much greater enjoyment out of reading lyrics that were from Gilbert and Sullivan performances that I had attended. I think that must be because neither the words nor the music are nearly as enjoyable in the absence of the other. I have read that Gilbert and Sullivan had a very stormy relationship. I'm glad that they managed to work together as often as they did because they really complemented one another. What they accomplished as a team speaks for itself in the continued performance of so many of their works over a hundred years after they were first performed.I have an older hardback of THE COMPLETE PLAYS and I found some humor in the following which may have been corrected in later copies. The book starts off with Chronological Biographies of each man. In Gilbert's it statesIn summary, in my opinion, the works in this book, while certainly enjoyable reading, were really meant to be performed in order to give maximum enjoyment. Others may very well disagree with this opinion and I see nothing wrong with that.

This book is full of musical plays and the scripts are worded well for possible performance. The only problem is that the sheet music is missing and from experience it is a headache to find but other than that it is a good book that stimulates the imagination.

If you are a Savoyard, or even if you know what that means, this jumbo collection is one you will treasure. With a preface by esteemed music critic, Deems Taylor, and illustrations by W. S. Gilbert himself, the complete librettos from all fourteen Gilbert & Sullivan operettas is the perfect companion at a great low price. You'll find yourself humming the Arthur Sullivan melodies as you read "I polished up the handles so carefully," "Let the punishment fit the crime," and "I'm called little Buttercup, Sweet little Buttercup." In one attractive volume are the complete and unabridged texts of "The Mikado," "The Pirates of Penzance, "H.M.S Pinafore," and the eleven other operettas that set a world standard for intelligent musical theatre.