Having wooed audiences in the UK and Australia with the award-winning Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado, Sasha Regan returns with her most critically acclaimed production, Iolanthe, which broke all box office records on its transfer to Wilton’s Music Hall in 2011.
Torches flash in the darkness as a party of naughty schoolboys adventure into the magical surroundings of an old theatre. Amid all the backstage paraphernalia they discover a Narnia-like wardrobe and a dusty copy of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. What follows is pure magic!
Universally regarded as Sir Arthur Sullivan’s most beautiful score, Iolanthe is a topsy-turvy love story between the most unlikely of couples… fairies and members of the House of Lord’s! Sasha Regan’s all male, award-winning company return with their best received production. Her inimitable inventiveness combined with Gilbert and Sullivan’s inherent barminess make for an unmissable night out.
Iolanthe became the fourth consecutive major success for Gilbert and Sullivan. It was the first work to premiere at the Savoy and first new theatre production in the world to be illuminated entirely with electric lights!
Sasha Regan comments, “I am thrilled that Iolanthe will be touring once again! These all-male productions stem from my memories of performing Gilbert and Sullivan’s productions when I was at a single-sex school and I’ve always loved the innocence attached to these productions. The laughter and playfulness afforded by setting it in this all-male environment allows the audience to really tap into the ‘topsy turvy’ world without being detached from it.”
When it premiered in 2011 Iolanthe was nominated for numerous Off West End Awards – Best Director, Best Choreographer, Best Production, Best Costume Design and Best Male Performance.
