Long before Rodgers & Hammerstein, Ahrens & Flaherty, or Webber & Rice, W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan forged a groundbreaking partnership that helped shape the foundation of modern musical theatre. Together, they created 14 Savoy operas—among them H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and The Gondoliers—that captivated audiences in Britain and America. With razor-sharp wit, topsy-turvy humor, and memorably lyrical scores, their works lampooned Victorian society, politics, class, and convention, establishing comic opera as a cornerstone of British popular culture. Mr. Kenrick will examine the genius of the Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration. He will explore how
their innovation, theatrical craft, and uniquely British sensibility anticipated the integrated musical long before the term existed. More than a century later, their operas continue to delight worldwide audiences as legacy continues to resonate across the stages of the West End and Broadway.

John Kenrick is a theatre historian, author, and educator specializing in the history of musical theatre and film. He is the author of the textbook Musical Theatre: A History and has taught courses including History of Musical Theatre; Great Broadway Songwriters; and Rodgers & Hammerstein at New York University’s Steinhardt School, The New School, Marymount Manhattan College, and the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. A frequent speaker and media commentator, Mr. Kenrick has lectured at many universities and cultural institutions.

IN-PERSON
Thursday, May 28 | 6:15 p.m. ET; reception following lecture

The General Society Library, 20 W 44th Street, New York NY 10036

$35 members; $45 non-members