Review: Iolanthe

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Iolanthe.
Despite theatre being my number one hobby, I had never actually seen an opera in all my years of theatre-going. Whilst searching for a Saturday matinee during my half-term break, I happened to be near the London Coliseum which was showing a revival of the comic-opera Iolanthe. I then leapt at the opportunity to see my first opera and went to see it!

Iolanthe was written by the duo known as Gilbert and Sullivan; a Victorian era theatrical partnership which led to the creation of many comical operas. The bizarre story of this show follows a fairy named Iolanthe, who is banished for marrying a mortal and having his son, but when her young son wishes to marry, his fairy queen storms into Westminster to make him a Member of Parliament so he can win the girl... with chaotic consequences! Iolanthe was a great introduction to the opera genre, as it was very entertaining and it wasn't too hard to follow. It was also quite helpful that Iolanthe is performed in English! Whilst operatic music isn't necessarily my favourite genre, I still had a pleasant experience and truly enjoyed this amusing revival of Iolanthe.

There were many great things about this production, but personally, my favourite aspect of the show was its incredible designs. Firstly, the costume design is absolutely outstanding. Each costume is extremely unique, and it was clear that a huge amount of thought and dedication had gone into each and every aspect of the design. The set design is also extremely impressive. All of the sets within the show were spectacular, but the most impressive part was, without a doubt, the life-size steam train which makes its way onto the stage during act one. Both the set and the costumes were designed by Paul Brown, a previous Academy Award nominee. Sadly, Paul Brown passed away in November 2017, but I am glad to see that his legacy has lived on.

The cast were all brilliant, and there were no weak links whatsoever. In the title role of Iolanthe was Samantha Price, who is an ENO Harewood Artist. Price had a beautiful voice and played the role to perfection. Portraying her son, Strephon, was Marcus Farnsworth. Farnsworth brought bounds of energy to the stage, making his performance extremely enjoyable to watch. Starring as his girlfriend, Phyllis, is Elli Laugharne, who is also full of energy, bringing lots of fun to the show. Finally, the other cast member that I feel deserves a special mention is Andrew Shore, who performed as The Lord Chancellor. Shore's voice was truly phenomenal, and if this wasn't enough, he was also a terrific actor, making his overall performance exceptional.

The featured star of Iolanthe is, drum roll please... SAMANTHA PRICE!

The choice of featured star was an extremely difficult choice between Samantha Price, Marcus Farnsworth, Elli Laugharne and Andrew Shore. They all gave equally incredible performances, meaning that it took me quite a while to finally select a featured star. Samantha Price was very believable in the role of Iolanthe, with her physicality and voice being perfect for the character. Her voice is incredible and suits the music very well.

Now for my final verdict on Iolanthe. I give Iolanthe...

Despite operatic music not being my favourite, I still throughly enjoyed Iolanthe. It is an excellent production and its design is worth the ticket price alone!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer