After savoring their bachelorhood as young gondoliers, plying Venice’s canals and basking in women’s admiring gazes, the two brothers find brides and marry. Hardly have they tied the knot when they’re summoned to another kingdom to share the royal throne–but they must leave their brides behind. As if that weren’t enough of a hitch, they remember that they’re philosophically opposed to monarchy. What shall they do?
The Victorian duo’s spoofs of British society have transcended their time and place, thanks to the crackling wit of William S. Gilbert’s lyrics and the snappiness of Arthur Sullivan’s music. The Gondoliers is the last of the string of hits they created in their heyday—before they split, then reunited for two less-acclaimed final shows.
It represents Gilbert and Sullivan’s “mature best,” says Joe Carl White, president of the society’s board of directors. Sullivan gave The Gondoliers “memorable” tunes, White adds, and “Gilbert’s wit is always on and has a slight bite to it, even after 130 years.”
As the story’s convolutions begin, the brothers encounter the Grand Inquisitor, who informs them of their royal summons, and a blueblooded Spanish family that has fallen on hard times. When the Grand Inquisitor tells of kidnapping a royal baby long ago and sending him to Venice, where his identity has been obscured, the plot’s pivotal mystery is unleashed. One of the brothers is the long-lost royal—or so it appears.
Gilbert, in one of his trademark gambits, creates an absurd pileup of circumstances “where idealism and responsibility are at odds and rank becomes meaningless,” Weathersby adds. And “the jokes have held up over time because much of the humor itself is built throughout a scene. … While there are sometimes references to historical things or events, it’s easy for today’s audiences to enjoy the payoff and punchline of a well-setup joke.”
The Gilbert and Sullivan society staged The Gondoliers as its inaugural production in 1952. That was three years before the founding of Houston Grand Opera, White notes, genially describing HGO as the “little brother.” The society’s casts long centered on Gilbert and Sullivan buffs who were volunteers—such as White, who has taken part since around 1990. But as competition for everyone’s leisure time increased, White says, the turnout for auditions diminished. In 2023, the society responded by making a big change.
“Now, all the performers are compensated. I won’t say paid, because it’s not really what they’re worth,” White explains. The new arrangement rejuvenated the auditions. Newcomers have included young professionals from the area as well as students and graduates of the vocal programs at the University of Houston, Rice University and Sam Houston State University. “It’s really kind of astounding—the level of talent that is available in this city,” White says.
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The cast of the 2017 Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston’s production of The Gondoliers. Photo by Steven Feinberg.
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The chorus of the 2017 Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston’s production of The Gondoliers. Photo by Steven Feinberg.
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Dennis Arrowsmith and Abigail Coy with the cast of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston’s production of The Gondoliers. Photo by Steven Feinberg.
The society has long employed a professional orchestra and stagehands, besides paying its music director and stage director. Writing checks to singers obviously ratcheted up its financial obligations. So the group has worked to beef up its fundraising, too.
“We have folks who are volunteering and helping to write grants and making phone calls, and it is starting to pay off,” White says. He recalls this year’s annual fundraiser with pride.
“It was our best gala ever,” he says. “It raised $130,000, which is huge for us. It was a tremendous, tremendous success.”
—STEVEN BROWN
