• Review For Us
    • In London or across the UK
    • at Edinburgh Fringe
  • List Your Show
  • Advertising
  • Musicals
  • Plays
  • Ballet & Dance
  • Previews
  • First Look
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews

Review: Iolanthe on UK Tour

by Greg Stewart
May 16, 2018
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Review All Male Iolanthe

Review All Male Iolanthe

Four Star Review from Theatre WeeklyIn the days when single-sex schools were more prevalent, all-male productions would have been common place, with Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas a popular choice.  Sasha Regan has continued the tradition with this all-male Iolanthe which is currently touring the UK, it follows previous successful all-male runs of The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance.

Iolanthe is probably one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s lesser known works, although a recent production at The London Coliseum will have helped to revive it in the theatre-going consciousness. The fairy Iolanthe has been banished from the group for marrying a mortal, the result of a commuted death sentence from a benevolent queen.  Twenty-five years later she is recalled and the fairies discover she has a half-mortal son who is in love with a ward of the chancery.

Strephon is unable to marry Phyllis, because the Lord Chancellor and most of the House of Lords also want to marry her!  So, the fairies confront the peers of the realm with the intent of helping their nephew, only to fall in love with the Earls and Dukes themselves.  The Lords are portrayed as bumbling fools, wearing dressing gowns and other mismatched attire, and generally failing to do anything useful.

       

It does take a song or two to adjust your perceptions, the opening number ‘Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither’ where a group of young men dressed as fairies, and singing about their fairy ring could certainly catch you off guard.  But, a few songs in and you’ve completely forgotten some of these talented performers are men.

The key to making this work, which Sasha Regan has clearly identified, is to play it straight.  Yes, the audience are laughing (it’s a comic opera, for a start), but the performers are taking it seriously.  Nothing about the script has been changed, so the female characters are still female, they just happen to be being played by men.

You mightalso like

The new cast of Titanique images supplied by publicist

Titanique Announces New Cast Members Joining the Ship of Dreams from 10 June 2025 at Criterion Theatre

Cast of Scissorhandz

Lead Casting Announced For ‘Scissorhandz’ At Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Both Joe Henry as Phyllis, and Christopher Finn as Iolanthe give astoundingly realistic female performances, while Alastair Hill’s Lord Chancellor is entirely engaging, especially during those notorious patter songs.

The fairy-tale motif is created immediately, as schoolboys explore excitedly with torches.  That theme continues throughout, with the staging and costumes portraying their own shabby beauty.  The understated fairy wings, which are all different, reflecting the fairies individual personalities, really pay off during some lovely choreography from Mark Smith.

With just a single piano accompanying throughout, Musical Director Richard Baker adds the final piece of magic to this charming and elegant production. Perhaps in today’s society, gender neutral casting shouldn’t even need to be mentioned, but given this particular operetta has Gilbert’s trademark female focus, Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe deserves the recognition for doing something different, and making it work.

Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe 2018 (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe 2018 (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe 2018 (photo by Harriet Buckingham) 4
Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe 2018 (photo by Harriet Buckingham) 4
Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe 2018 - Strephon (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe 2018 – Strephon (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe 2018 - Lords (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe 2018 – Lords (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe 2018 - Faries (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe 2018 – Faries (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe 2018 - Fairy Queen (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe 2018 – Fairy Queen (photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe 2018 - Dan Miles(photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Sasha Regan’s all-male Iolanthe 2018 – Dan Miles(photo by Harriet Buckingham)
Greg Stewart

Greg Stewart

Greg is an award-winning writer with a huge passion for theatre. He has appeared on stage, as well as having directed several plays in his native Scotland. Greg is the founder and editor of Theatre Weekly

Related Articles

The new cast of Titanique images supplied by publicist
News

Titanique Announces New Cast Members Joining the Ship of Dreams from 10 June 2025 at Criterion Theatre

Cast of Scissorhandz
News

Lead Casting Announced For ‘Scissorhandz’ At Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Cast of the All Male Pirates of Penzance
News

Cast announced for a new production of Sasha Regan’s award-winning all-male The Pirates of Penzance

Cast of Frank's Closet at Union Theatre
News

Cast announced for the first UK revival of the cult musical Frank’s Closet

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Twitter Facebook Youtube Instagram

At Theatre Weekly we give theatre a new audience. You'll find our theatre news, theatre reviews and theatre interviews are written from an audience point of view. Our great value London theatre tickets will get you the best deal for your theatre tickets.
Theatre Weekly, 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
  • Join Our Community
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising

Recent News

Shakespeare North portrait Credit Meg Terzza

Shakespeare North Playhouse Seeks Groundbreaking Naming Rights Partner

Some of the line up for ECHO images supplied by publicist

ECHO (Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen) Announces Star-Studded Line-Up for Royal Court Return

© 2022 Theatre Weekly

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Tickets
  • Digital Theatre
  • News
    • News
    • West End
    • Off West End
    • Regional & Tours
    • Digital
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer

© 2022 Theatre Weekly