Gilbert and Sullivan
Victorian comic operas
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the collaborative works of librettist W.S.
Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, who created fourteen comic operas in Victorian England.
Their operettas—*The Mikado*, *H.M.S.
Pinafore*, *The Pirates of Penzance*—are known for witty wordplay, satirical plots, and memorable patter songs.
The phrase often describes anything with a similar flavor of elaborate, theatrical absurdity: The whole affair had a Gilbert and Sullivan quality to it.
Victorian comic opera
- H.M.S. PinaforeVictorian comic opera
- librettoOpera's written words
- overtureIntroductory orchestral piece
- finaleConcluding part of performance
aria · duet · ensemble · chorus · soprano · tenor · baritone
Inverted or disordered
- social commentaryAnalysis of societal conditions
- parodySatirical imitation
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
wit · absurdity · burlesque · mockery · House of Lords · British Navy · aestheticism · legal system
Verbal wit techniques
- punsJokes using sound similarities
- farceAbsurd, laughable situation
- humorAmusing quality
- witClever, inventive humor
silliness · lighthearted · rhyme · double entendre · tongue-twister · comedic timing · buffoonery · mirth
England's capital city
- gaslightDistort someone's reality
- penny dreadfulCheap Victorian crime serial
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
- Queen VictoriaLong-reigning British empress
Holder of multiple titles
- ButtercupAffectionate name, often yellow-themed
- FredericTraditional French masculine name
- MabelTraditional feminine name
- Pirate KingRuler of sea raiders
The Mikado
Victorian comic opera
- H.M.S. PinaforeVictorian comic opera
- librettoOpera's written words
- overtureIntroductory orchestral piece
finale · aria · duet · ensemble · chorus · soprano · tenor · baritone
topsy-turvy
Inverted or disordered
- social commentaryAnalysis of societal conditions
- parodySatirical imitation
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
lampoon · wit · absurdity · burlesque · mockery · House of Lords · British Navy · aestheticism · legal system · peerage
wordplay
Verbal wit techniques
wit · silliness · lighthearted · rhyme · double entendre · tongue-twister · comedic timing · buffoonery · mirth · absurdity
London
England's capital city
- gaslightDistort someone's reality
- penny dreadfulCheap Victorian crime serial
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
Queen Victoria · etiquette · Victoriana · British Empire · music hall
Pooh-Bah
Holder of multiple titles
- British MusicThe Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd
- famous pairsBatman and Robin, Holmes and Watson, Bonnie and Clyde, Tom and Jerry, Mickey and Minnie
- vocal musicsong, vocals, soprano, tenor, alto
- performanceballet, theatre, acting, circus, concert
- operaopera, aria, arias, soprano, tenor
- Co-creatorsLennon and McCartney
Gilbert and SullivanWagner
German Romantic opera composer
Richard Wagner · Verdi · grand opera · Giuseppe Verdi · Wagnerian
Gilbert and SullivanWagner
German Romantic opera composer
grand opera · Verdi · Italian opera · German opera · bel canto
Gilbert and SullivanWagner
German Romantic opera composer
Romanticism · Bertolt Brecht · expressionism · decadence · fin de siècle