Review: The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan by Jonah Winter, Illustrations by Richard Egielski
Lavishly and lovingly illustrated with characters and other bits from the operas of Gibert & Sullivan, the story centers on the argument that these two great men had over artistic differences. Sullivan wanted to write a great opera and Gilbert wanted to entertain. This breach in their partnership caused the two men to stop speaking to each other.
Gilbert, knowing that Sullivan’s main complaint was that no matter what the opera was about the basic story was the same, had an idea for something really different. Japan and all things Japanese was really popular and he set about to write the story and words for an opera that would be very different. When Gilbert presented his new idea to Sullivan he was excited by the new story line — while the humor and comedy remain intact and it isn’t a serious opera the two patched up their differences.
Here’s a clip of “Three Little Maids Are We” from the Mikado:
While the Japanese influence filtered through a Victorian filter is definitely something different for the time, it’s really not that different from, say The Pirates of Penzance, “I Am the Very Model Of A Modern Major General”:
So, while the story was very different and had no magical spells or castles — the witty use of words and comedy remained the same. So, their argument this time was solved without a winner or a loser. While both men were very talented, they never could quite seem to make it on their own, but together they made opera a very English experience and it was Gilbert & Sullivan who paved the way for the modern musical.
What this books does is let children, young adults (and dare I say adults) realize that sometimes feuds and arguments are not bad things. Sometimes arguments are a way of clearing the air, of making the participants in the argument aware of the need to do things differently, to find another way. This wasn’t the only feud or argument that Gilbert & Sullivan had in their long career but many of the others were eventually solved by looking at the problem and finding a solution that they could both live with.
So, if you have a disagreement, calm down and take a close look at the item/idea/situation that the disagreement is about. Can something be done? Think long and hard about alternatives. Because the Mikado turned out to be one of their most famous operas. Maybe if they hadn’t had that disagreement they would never have changed the way they told stories to music and their names might not be as well known as they are now.
Feel free to share your opinions about this book or Gilbert & Sullivan. I love to hear what other people think.