Gilbert & Sullivan - Patience / Douglas, Olsen, Warlow, Australian Opera - Region 1 DVD

The comedy in Patience is closely linked to a particular time and place, specifically the antiquarian fads and fashions of Victorian England, with characters striking Pre-Raphaelite poses and the hero pursuing the heroine with what he calls "a Florentine 14th-century frenzy." For a modern production, the designer and stage director must establish awareness of these absurdities to make people laugh at them. This is accomplished in a performance as effective visually as it is musically--Gilbert & Sullivan caviar. --Joe McLellan