Event

Iolanthe

Have you ever wished that by some miracle the members of Congress and our Legislatures would think for themselves rather than along party lines? The musical team of Gilbert & Sullivan anticipated your wish 130 years ago with a fairytale operetta called "Iolanthe." It tells the tale of a young fairy (it seems they're all young) who marries a mortal (the head of Parliament) and has a son who is half fairy. Along with a lot of other plot complications, the leaders of Parliament manage to insult the Queen of the Fairies who places a hex on them that not only puts the half-fairy hero into Parliament but impels all the other members to pass any bill he introduces. The worst of which is a measure that requires legislators to think for themselves and the only way they can become a legislator is by competitive examination!

Of course, it's Gilbert & Sullivan with plot twists, love triangles (actually, at one point, a "love quadrangle") and the patent happy ending. The music is marvelous, the characters are goofy, the set is magical and the show is ideally suited to children of all ages. Don't you believe in fairies?