Gilbert's Plays

Gilbert and Sullivan Archive

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	William and Lucy Turner Gilbert, 1867

W. S. Gilbert wrote many stage works besides the libretti of the operas written in collaboration with Arthur Sullivan. This page aims to provide a complete list of Gilbert's stage works in chronological order. The Gilbert and Sullivan operas have been included to show their place in the chronology of Gilbert's works.

The resources available on the Archive are indicated by these icons:

Background Notes |

Summary of the Plot |

Script or Libretto |

MIDI Files |

Vocal Score

The Early Years
1863, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870
The Gilbert & Sullivan Years
1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1881,
1882, 1884, 1885, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1896
The Post G & S Years
1897, 1904, 1909, 1911

Uncle Baby: One-act comedietta — Lyceum Theatre (31 October )


Hush-a-Bye Baby, on the Tree Top or Harlequin Fortunia, King Frog of Frog Island, and the Magic Toys of Lowther Arcade: Anonymous Christmas pantomime, written with Chas. Millard — Astley's Theatre (26 December)

Dulcamara, or The Little Duck and the Great Quack: Play — a burlesque of Donizetti's L'Elsir d'Amore — St. James's Theatre (29 December )

Ruy Blas: Burlesque — unperformed — published in Warne's Christmas Annual

La Vivandiere or True to the Corps: Extravaganza — a parody of The Daughter of the Regiment — St. James's Hall, Liverpool (15 June)

Robinson Crusoe or The Injun Bride and the Injured Wife: Burlesque, written with H. J. Byron, Thomas Hood, H. S. Leigh and Arthur Sketchley — Haymarket Theatre (6 July)

Allow Me To Explain: One-act farce — Prince of Wales's Theatre (4 November)

Highly Improbable: One-act farce — Royalty Theatre (5 December)

Harlequin Cock-Robin and Jenny Wren or Fortunatus and the Water of Life, the Three Bears, the Three Gifts, the Three Wishes, and the Little Man who Woo'd the Little Maid: Christmas pantomime — Lyceum Theatre (26 December)
Script: Word Document [124KB], PDF File [232KB]

A Colossal Idea: One-act farce, unperformed, published 1932
Script: Word Document [72KB], PDF File [76KB]

The Merry Zingara or The Tipsy Gipsy and the Pipsy Wipsy: Extravaganza — Royalty Theatre (21 March)

Robert the Devil or The Nun, the Dun, and the Son of a Gun: A version of Meyerbeer's opera Robert Le Diable — Gaiety Theatre (21 December)
Link to a web site describing this opera parody.

No Cards: One-act musical entertainment, with music by Thomas German-Reed (and Lionel Elliott?) — Royal Gallery of Illustration (29 March)

The Pretty Druidess or The Mother, the Maid, and the Mistletoe Bough: Extravaganza — Charing Cross Theatre (19 June)

An Old Score: Three-act comedy — Gaiety Theatre (19 July) — revived 11 Nov. 1872, at Court Theatre as Quits.

Ages Ago: One-act musical entertainment, with music by Frederic Clay — Royal Gallery of Illustration (22 November)

The Princess: Blank-verse parody of Tennyson's poem in five scenes. — Olympic Theatre (8 January)

The Gentleman in Black: Two-act musical play, with music by Frederic Clay — Charing Cross Theatre (26 May)

Our Island Home: One-act musical entertainment, with music by Thomas German Reed — Royal Gallery of Illustration (20June)
Libretto, prepared for the Archive by Andrew Beighton, with missing lyrics added by Andrew Crowther [Web Page] [Word File]

The Palace of Truth: Play — a fairy comedy in three acts — Haymarket Theatre (19 November)
Synopsis
Libretto, prepared for the Archive by Arthur Robinson. [Web Page] [Word File]

Randall's Thumb: Comedy — Royal Court Theatre (25 January )
Play script, provided to the Archive by Colin M. Johnson: [Word File (173K file)] [PDF File (105K file)]

A Sensation Novel: Musical entertainment — Royal Gallery of Illustration (30 January)

Creatures of Impulse: A Musical Fairy Tale in One Act, with music by Alberto Randegger. — Royal Court Theatre (2 April)

Great Expectations: Play — after Dickens — Court Theatre (29 May)
Play Script, provided to the Archive by Joe Giammarco. [Word Document (188KB)] [PDF File (156KB)]

On Guard: Comedy (28 October)

Pygmalion and Galatea: Comedy — Haymarket Theatre (9 December)
Play Script [Word Document (168KB)] [PDF File (128 KB)]

Thespis: Christmas Entertainment with music by Sullivan — Gaiety Theatre (26 December)

A Medical Man: One-act farce, published in Clement Scott's Drawing-Room Plays (1870), performed St. George's Hall, 24 Oct. 1872.
Play Script donated to the Archive by Ethan Enoch Hardy. [Word Document (56KB)] [PDF File (104 KB)]

Happy Arcadia: Play, with music by Frederic Clay — Royal Gallery of Illustration (28 October)
Play Script donated to the Archive by Tyson Vick: Word Document [110K] PDF File [114K]

The Wicked World: Fairy comedy — Haymarket Theatre (4 January)

The Happy Land: Pseudonymous extravaganza — Court Theatre (3 March)

The Realm of Joy: One-act farce (written as F. Latour Tomline), freely adapted from Le Roi Candaule by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy, title changed after a few nights to The Realms of Joy — Royalty Theatre (28 October)

The Wedding March: Three-act farce, written as F. Latour Tomline, translated from Un Chapeau du Paille D'Italie by Eugene Labiche — Court Theatre (15 November)

Charity: Four act drama — Haymarket Theatre (3 January)
Script, provided to the Archive by Colin M. Johnson: [Word File (334K file)] [PDF File (92K file)]

Ought We to Visit Her?

Committed for Trial: Two-act farce, translated from Le Réveillon by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy — Globe Theatre (24 January)

The Blue-Legged Lady: One-act farce, no author named, translated from La Dame aux Jambes d'Azur by Eugene Labiche and Marc-Michel — Court Theatre (4 March)

Topsyturveydom: One-act extravaganza, with music by Alfred Cellier — Criterion Theatre (21 March)
Libretto, available in Microsoft Word 2.0, or WordPerfect 5.1 formats. Submitted to the Archive by Andrew Crowther.

Sweethearts: Two-act comedy — Prince of Wales's Theatre (7 November)
Script, published by Samuel French [from the Internet Archive].

Trial by Jury: "Dramatic Cantata" with music by Sullivan — Royalty Theatre (25 March)

Tom Cobb or, Fortune's Toy: Three-act farce — St. James's Theatre (24 April)

Eyes and No Eyes or, The Art of Seeing: One-act musical entertainment, with music by German Reed — St. George's Hall (5 July)

Broken Hearts: Three-act verse drama — Court Theatre (9 December)

Princess Toto: Three-act comic opera with music by Frederic Clay — Nottingham Theatre (24 June)

Dan'l Druce, Blacksmith: Three-act drama — Haymarket Theatre (11 September)

On Bail: Three-act farce (an adaptation of "Le Réveillon") — Criterion Theatre (3 February)
The script of this play is available as a Word Document [184KB] and PDF File [212KB] thanks to Adam Cuerden and Anthony Porter.

Engaged: Three-act farcical comedy — Haymarket Theatre (3 October)

The Sorcerer: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Opèra Comique (17 November)

(Ali Baba and) The Forty Thieves: Pantomime-burlesque, written with Robert Reece, F. C. Burnand, and H. J. Byron, — Gaiety Theatre one performance (13 February)

The Ne'er Do Weel: (rewritten and restaged three weeks later as The Vagabond) — three-act drama — Olympic Theatre (25 February)

H.M.S. Pinafore: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Opèra Comique (25 May)

Gretchen: Four-act verse tragedy — Olympic Theatre (24 March); Gilbert considered this play, his version of the Faust legend, and Broken Hearts to be his two best plays.
Script: Word Document [199KB], PDF File [150KB]

Lord Mayor's Day: Three-act anonymous farce, translated from La Cagnotte by Eugene Labiche. Gilbert translated the first two acts before abandoning the project, but when it was produced his name did not appear — Folly Theatre (1 July)

The Pirates of Penzance: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York (31 December)

Patience: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Opèra Comique (23 April)

Foggerty's Fairy: Three-act fairy comedy — Criterion Theatre (15 December)

Iolanthe: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (25 November)

Princess Ida: Three-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (5 January)

Comedy and Tragedy: One-act drama — Lyceum Theatre (26 January)
Script [PDF file, 76KB]

The Mikado: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (14 March)

Ruddigore: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (22 January)

The Yeomen of the Guard: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (3 October)

Brantinghame Hall: Four-act drama (November 29) — St James's Theatre
Play script, provided to the Archive by Colin M. Johnson: [Word File (142K file)] [PDF File (85K file)]

The Gondoliers: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (7 December)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Burlesque in Three Short "Tableaux", (originally published in Fun, December 1884) — Vaudeville Theatre (3 June)

The Mountebanks: Two-act comic opera, with music by Alfred Cellier — Lyric Theatre (4 January)

Haste to the Wedding: Three-act comic opera, with music by George Grossmith, a musical version of The Wedding March — Criterion Theatre (27 July)

Utopia, Limited: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (7 October)

His Excellency: Two-act comic opera, with music by Osmond Carr — Lyric Theatre (27 October)

The Grand Duke: Two-act comic opera, with music by Sullivan — Savoy Theatre (7 March)

The Fortune-Hunter: Three-act drama — Theatre Royal, Birmingham (27 September)
Script [268 KB PDF]

Harlequin and the Fairy's Dilemma: Two-act domestic pantomime. Retitled The Fairy's Dilemma after a few days. — Garrick Theatre (3 May )
Script [196KB, PDF]

Fallen Fairies or, The Wicked World: Two-act comic opera, with music by Edward German. A musical version of The Wicked World. — Savoy Theatre (15 December)

The Hooligan: One-act drama — Coliseum Theatre (27 February)

Trying a Dramatist: One-act sketch. Published in Original Plays, Fourth Series (1911). Performance details not known.

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