Showing results by author "W. S. Gilbert" in All Categories

LibriVox volunteers bring you 19 recordings of The Ghosts' High Noon by W. S. Gilbert. This was the Weekly Poetry HALLOWE'EN project for October 24th, 2010.

LibriVox volunteers bring you 26 recordings of The Disagreeable Man by Sir W. S. Gilbert. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for June 10, 2012.The Bab Ballads are a collection of light verse by W. S. Gilbert, illustrated with his own comic drawings. Gilbert wrote the Ballads before he became famous for his comic opera librettos with Arthur Sullivan. In writing the Bab Ballads, Gilbert developed his unique "topsy-turvy" style, where the humour was derived by setting up a ridiculous premise and working out its logical consequences, however absurd. The Ballads also reveal Gilbert's cynical ...

Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for the fourteen comic operas (known as the Savoy operas) produced in collaboration with the composer Arthur Sullivan. The most famous of these include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre, The Mikado. Gilbert's creative output included over 75 plays and libretti, and numerous short stories, poems and lyrics, both comic and serious. After brief careers as a government clerk and a lawyer, Gilbert began to focus, ...

LibriVox volunteers bring you 21 recordings of The Magnet and The Churn by W. S. Gilbert. This was the Weekly Poetry project for April 26, 2020. ------ A bit of frivolity in these trying times. This Weekly Poem is taken from Bab Ballads and Savoy Songs by W. S. Gilbert. - Summary by David Lawrence

Frederick is freed of his indentures to the ferociously temperate Pirates of Penzance. What will he do with his newfound freedom?

A drama from the Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan. Pursued by the Parliamentary Army after the Battle of Worcester, some Royalist soldiers take cover in Dan'l Druce's hut on the Norfolk Coast until they can escape. An event with long shadows that come back to disturb his life fourteen years later. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Sir Jasper Combe, a Royalist Colonel: Andrew James Dan'l Druce: Adrian Stephens Reuben Haines, a Royalist Sergeant: Alan Mapstone Geoffrey Wynyard, a Merchant Sailor: Tomas Peter Marple: ToddHW Joe Ripley, a Fisherman: Son of the Exiles Sergeant of the Parliamentary Army...

This comedy is by Gilbert on his own without Sullivan. "Listen to me. You love this girl?" "I love her sir, a'most as weel as I love mysel' !" "Then reflect how you are standing in the way of her prosperity." "Sir, I'm puir on pocket, but I've a rich hairt." - Summary From The Play Cast list: Cheviot Hill, a young man of property: Matthew Reece Belvawney, his friend: skypigeon Mr. Symperson: Alan Mapstone Angus Macalister, a Lowland peasant lad: ToddHW Major McGillicuddy: Craig Franklin Belinda Treherne: Emmi Kranz Minnie, Symperson's daughter: Jenn Broda Mrs. Macfarlane, a Lowland widow: ...

Tom Cobb: "Why, there's a squalid old pauper idiot, a patient of his, who's got no name of his own, and Whipple [Doctor] christened him "Tom Cobb", because he says he's the ugliest old lunatic he ever saw and reminds him of me. And all the boys in the neighborhood have taken it up, and he's been known as Tom Cobb for the last two years. That's pleasant of Whipple.... One Tom Cobb's enough at a time!" What happens to young Tom if the old Tom dies and all young Tom's bills are now erased since he be dead. But isn't. And if potential heirs of the young Tom decide to submit the young Tom's will in...

A comic operetta which is a satire on the themes of fashion and pretension and hero-worship. Bunthorne is a poet who pretends to be highly "idealised" in order to impress the ladies. They all worship him, except for Patience, the dairy maid, who is the only one he loves. However, his grand plan goes awry with the arrival of Grosvenor who is more idealised and more poetical then he is. The ladies all flock after Grosvenor instead, until Bunthorne curses him with poor fashion sense and stoutness! But will the curse bring Bunthorne his Patience? (Summary by Beth Thomas) Cast: Reginald Bunthorne: ...

Subtitled "An Original Dramatic Contrast", the play presents two neighbors, Harry and Jenny, parting in Act 1 and then meeting again 30 years later in Act 2 after Harry's return from India. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Mr Harry Spreadbrow: Rob Marland Wilcox, a Gardener: ToddHW Miss Jenny Northcott: Jenn Broda Ruth, a Maidservant: Sonia Stage Directions: MichaelMaggs Editing: ToddHW

In this recording, one person reads the entire play, all parts, including the stage directions. Even without the support of Arthur Sullivan’s music and the interpretation of actors, the consummate silliness of Gilbert’s libretto entertains. The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The story concerns Frederic, who, having completed his 21st year, is released from his apprenticeship to a band of tender-hearted pirates. He meets Mabel, the daughter of Major-General Stanley, and the two young ...

This is a subset of the second collection of Gilbert’s “Bab Ballads” – light verses poking fun at the life and people of his time in Gilbert’s unique “topsy-turvey” style. The epitaph on his memorial on the Victoria Embankment in London is “HIS FOE WAS FOLLY AND HIS WEAPON WIT”, an epitaph amply exemplified in these verses. (Summary by Graham Redman)

Pinafore’s sublimely silly story is made even sillier by this (ostensibly for children) 1908 story version of the 1878 Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Gilbert, the author of the operetta’s lyrics, writes this version of the story with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. Most adults and children will find this version vastly amusing. - Summary by David Wales

In this captivating recording, a single narrator brings to life the entire play, embodying all characters and even the stage directions. While the absence of Arthur Sullivan’s enchanting music and the flair of live actors may alter the experience, the delightful absurdity of Gilbert’s libretto shines through, providing endless entertainment. The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, crafted by the brilliant duo of Arthur Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert, marking their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. Premiering on March 14, 1885, in London, the production enjoyed...

In this whimsical tale, we meet a nameless old pauper, a patient of Doctor Whipple, who has been dubbed Tom Cobb due to his disheveled appearance reminiscent of the doctor himself. The neighborhood has embraced this moniker for two years, but what happens if the old Tom Cobb passes away? Young Tom, who shares the name, faces a peculiar predicament his debts might vanish with the old mans demise, but he’s still very much alive! As potential heirs of the young Tom plot to submit his will in their favor, hilarity ensues. Join us for a delightful romp filled with comedic twists and charming ...

In a whimsical twist of fate, Alexis Pointdextre enlists the help of his family sorcerer to concoct a love potion. But when the magic spirals out of control, chaos ensues! This captivating two-act operetta not only delighted audiences but also inspired Gilbert and Sullivan (apologies—our recording lacks music) to embark on their collaboration for H.M.S. Pinafore the very next year. - Summary by ToddHW

Dive into the whimsical world of Gilbert and Sullivans Topsy Turvy with Gondoliers! When the King of Barataria mysteriously disappears, were taken on a delightful journey through Venice, where two gondoliers—both unaware of their royal lineage—find themselves at the center of a comedic conundrum. As their wives clamor for the truth and the Grand Inquisitor arrives, hilarity ensues when it becomes clear that neither gondolier wants to abandon their beloveds for a life of luxury. With three wives and two husbands entangled in a ridiculous predicament, the notion of marrying a vulgar fraction...

Dive into Sweethearts, an evocative play subtitled An Original Dramatic Contrast. Follow the journey of two neighbors, Harry and Jenny, as they part ways in Act 1, only to reunite 30 years later in Act 2 after Harrys return from India. Experience the emotional twists and turns of their lives across decades. - Summary by ToddHW

In this recording, one person reads the entire play, all parts, including the stage directions. Even without the support of Arthur Sullivan’s music and the interpretation of actors, the consummate silliness of Gilbert’s libretto entertains. H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical theatre piece up to that time. H.M.S. Pinafore was Gilbert and ...

Step into the world of Danl Druce, a humble blacksmith caught in the crossfire of history. After the Battle of Worcester, Royalist soldiers seek refuge in his secluded hut on the Norfolk Coast, hiding from the relentless Parliamentary Army. As the echoes of their choices reverberate through the years, Danls life is forever altered by the shadows of that fateful encounter, returning to haunt him fourteen years later. Join us for a gripping tale of loyalty, courage, and the unforeseen consequences of war. - Summary by ToddHW