The Peers                                                                              Iolanthe & The Peris

"IOLANTHE" COMES TO THE BLACK BOX THEATRE

SATURDAY AUGUST 21 AND SUNDAY AUGUST 22

The Gilbert & Sullivan Company of El Paso proudly presents, "Iolanthe; or, the Peer and the Peri" for its summer 2010 season.  The two performances are Saturday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 22 at 2:30 p.m. at the Black Box Theatre, 430 N Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. This fanciful comedy is considered by many to combine Sullivan's finest opera compositions with another of Gilbert's comic plots and his witty and waggish dialogue. "Iolanthe" presents a topsy-turvy love story involving fairies and members of the House of Lords ­ a political fairy tale that only Gilbert & Sullivan could conceive, and which will delight audiences of all ages.

First performed in 1882, Iolanthe is one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s fourteen musicals, (including "The Pirates of Penzance," "The Mikado," and "HMS Pinafore") and is universally regarded as one of Sir Arthur Sullivan’s most beautiful scores - a high water mark in terms of music, wit, cleverness, and color ­ with incredible choruses, wonderful solos and orchestration beyond compare. Peers, British noblemen and honorable members of Parliament, encounter Peris, lovelorn fairies from a golden glen ­ a collision of powerful mortals with feet of clay and immortal beings wielding magic wands. The result - havoc is wreaked in the House of Lords!

Stephanie J. Conwell makes her debut as Artistic Director. The cast includes: Ceci Schlesinger/Alicia A. Williamson (Iolanthe), John Wiebe/J. Mitchell Wilson (The Lord Chancellor),  Irene Rivas (The Queen of the Fairies),  Alfonso D. Johnson/Tristan Chavez-Poeschel (Strephon), Jessica McKay/Laura Sambrano (Phyllis), Carlos Orona/Abraham Villa (Earl of Mountararat), David Castro/Tom Davis (Earl Tolloller),  Jedediah Leachman/Henry Castro, Jr. (Private Willis), Christy Terrazas/Lumea “Lou” Brady (Celia), Andrea Vick/Donna Jones (Leila), and Desiree Long/Stephanie Jones (Fleta).

When a young shepherd falls in love with a Ward of Chancery, will he have the “chance” for a lifetime of happiness? Yes ­ after all, his mother is a fairy! After 25 years of banishment for committing the capital offense of marrying a mortal, Iolanthe, a fairy, finds herself pardoned by the Queen of the Fairies. With her new found freedom, she and her fairy brood set out to help her son Strephon in winning the hand of Phyllis, the girl of his dreams. But being half mortal, half fairy, Strephon soon finds himself in a pickle with Phyllis when he is seen with his mother, Iolanthe (who still looks seventeen ­ fairies never age!), and whom Phyllis mistakes as another young girl. Strephon struggles to win Phyllis back for he not only has to convince her of his fidelity, but must also compete with every member of the House of Lords, and the Lord Chancellor himself, who have all fallen in love with her. With the aid of the fairies’ powers of persuasion, Strephon becomes a member of Parliament and takes a stand for the love of his life (and meanwhile carries every bill he chooses!). The clash of mortal and immortal, peer and peri, make for another topsy-turvy ending in this fantastic musical comedy of all’s-well-that-ends-well in the madcap world of Gilbert & Sullivan.

The Gilbert & Sullivan Company of El Paso was founded by Joan Quarm in 1969 with the purpose of education by preserving and presenting the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. The company is funded and supported in part by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and  the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Tickets for "Iolanthe" are $10.00 regular admission and $9.00 for students and seniors over 65. Reservations are recommended as space is limited and may be made by calling the theatre at (575) 523-1223.

NSTC ANNOUNCES ITS EXCITING 2010-2011 SEASON!

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