The Gondoliers by Gilbert & Sullivan WA

A royal kidnapping… A hidden child… Which handsome gondolier is the true King of Barataria?

G&S WA is delighted to present The Gondoliers, one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s most sparkling and entertaining musical comedies.

Popular Venetian gondoliers Marco and Guiseppe have just wed sweet contadines Gianetta and Tessa when the formidable Grand Inquisitor Doña Alhambra arrives and discloses that one of them is the rediscovered King of Barataria.

However only their former foster mother, Inez, currently missing, knows which one. With unrest brewing in Barataria, a recognized royal line would signal stability and despite their recent marriages, duty demands leaving their wives in Venice until the true King is confirmed.

Complicating matters further, it turns out that the King of Barataria was wed in infancy to the daughter of the Duke of Plaza Toro, and so one of the gondoliers may be an unintentional bigamist!

Lady Casilda, however, has a forbidden romance of her own which her parents the Duke and Duchess would definitely not approve of.

When the three wives arrive at the castle wanting to know which of them is Queen, whose heart will be broken?

Since its premiere, The Gondoliers has delighted audiences with its witty reflection on the values of Monarchy and Republicanism courtesy of WS Gilbert’s humourous and lyrical libretto paired with some of Arthur Sullivan’s most appealing and intoxicating music.

With direction by Paul Treasure (HMS Pinafore, The Grand Duke) and Musical Direction by Blake Houlahan (Hansel & Gretel), join us for an enchanting Italian adventure as we sail to a sunny isle for toe-tapping tunes and romance aplenty.

“Of all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, The Gondoliers is arguably the most exuberant, the most musically inventive, and even the most topically satirical.” – The Telegraph

“As effervescent as prosecco” – The Opera Critic

“a bona fide great night out” – The Times