Search - Gilbert & Sullivan - Patience on DVD

In That Case Unprecedented

Jay Young | Austin, TX USA | 04/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Opera Australia has performed a great service by making a video recording of Patience and making it commercially available. Patience, though a hit in Gilbert & Sullivan's time, is largely forgotten today, since the target of the satire, the Aesthetic Movement, is so topical. That is unfortunate, because as Opera Australia demonstrates, the show is a lot of fun and has something to appeal to everyone. Specifically, Patience can be thought of as a satire on cultural fads and the cult of celebrity. For example, toward the end of the show (possible spoilers), after Archibald becomes a "commonplace young man" on threat of a curse by Bunthorne, all of his devoted female followers follow suit and disregard their aesthetic demeanor. As Angela explains, "It means that Archibald the All-Right cannot be all-wrong; and if the All-Right chooses to discard aestheticism, it proves that aestheticism ought to be discarded." In other words, they are imitating him because he's a celebrity, a phenomenon just as real today as it was then. Besides that, the music in Patience is as good as any Sullivan wrote, and Gilbert wrote some of the most witty dialogue of his career. In short, this is a must-own for any fan of musicals, light opera, and Gilbert & Sullivan particularly, and indeed anyone who is looking for some whimsical fun. Highly recommended."

Pick of the bunch

Freddie | Gold Coast, Australia | 08/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With so many mediocre Gilbert & Sullivan productions on film, it is great when a really good one appears. I rate this particular production as the best of any Gilbert & Sullivan video I have seen. The cast, most notably Anthony Warlow as Grosvenor, Dennis Olsen as Bunthorne and Heather Begg as Lady Jane, are spectacular. It is well staged, well performed, well directed and well orchestrated.

For traditional Gilbert & Sullivan fans, this is a must. While the less enthusiastic Gilbert & Sullivan fans may lean towards the better known HMS Pinafore, Mikado and Pirates of Penzance productions, if you wish to see how well a Gilbert & Sullivan show can be produced and captured on film, I strongly recommend you check this one out."

Broaden your Gilbert & Sullivan horizons - get this outstan

Ursa Minor | Salt Lake City, UT United States | 10/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Patience" was my introduction to the Savoy operas - nearly 50 years ago now! - and I think this is the best production that I have seen. The opera is a brilliant parody of the Aesthetic Movement, and deserves to be far better known. Gilbert obviously thoroughly enjoyed himself making fun of the ridiculous pretensions and jargon of the aesthetes (and for that reason newcomers might find it helpful to have the libretto to hand - otherwise, to quote Ruddigore, some of the patter may indeed be unintelligible). Perhaps because he was having such a good time, he made Lady Jane a far more likable character than his usual formidable contralto, and Heather Begg plays the role to perfection. The rest of the cast are equally strong, and the Australian Opera orchestra is in great form. Because the recording was made for television, it uses the full screen without sacrificing any of the action. As far as I could tell, there were very few deviations from the original libretto, a great relief after the butchery of some of the "made for television" versions of the other operas. Recommended without any reservations."

Hail Poetry !

Daisy Brambletoes | the Shire | 02/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Patience has long been a G&S favorite of mine. It is the funniest in the entire series, funnier than "The Mikado", and has curiously not been so popular in recent decades. Some speculate because a send-up of the 19th century Aesthetic Movement is meaningless today, but that has never made sense to me. Patience is as timeless as any other, being in fact a satire on the entire culture of celebrities and fandom, and it doesn't miss a single trick. This production is certainly the best on DVD, with stellar performances, most notably by "Reggie & Archie", the two ridiculous poets who dominate the story, and who are extremely well portrayed by David Hobson and Anthony Warlow. Lots of fun."