Iolanthe

Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri (Sullivan). Libretto by W. San Gilbert; 2 acts; first performance London 1882, conducted by Arthur Sullivan.

Arcadia and London, imaginary times: Iolanthe was banished from fairyland 25 years ago for marrying a mortal. The fairies persuade their Queen to forgive her if she promises to have no contact with her husband. Her 24-year-old son, Strephon, who is a fairy ‘only down to the waist’, loves Phyllis, a ward of chancery, who is also loved by Earls Tolloller and Mountararat. The Queen sends Strephon into Parliament to cause chaos among the peers. The fairies start to fall in love with the peers. Their Queen calls them to order, emphasizing that she herself has resisted the charms of the sentry, Private Willis. The elderly Lord Chancellor admits he wants to marry Phyllis, his ward, having presumed his wife to be dead. Iolanthe confronts him, thus breaking her promise to the Queen, and he recognizes her as his long-lost wife. The Lord Chancellor persuades the Queen to change the law - any fairy who does not marry a mortal shall die! All are now free to pair off accordingly - and Sergeant Willis finds himself with the Queen of the Fairies.