NOTE: The pen and ink sketches are contemporary with the original production.

SCENE: An Arcadian Landscape
TIME: According to Gilbert the time is between 1700 and 1882, but the fairy world is timeless and doesn't match mortal time.

ACT I
The chorus of fairies enters singing and dancing. (Tripping hither, tripping thither). However, their hearts are not in their revels. Things have not been the same for the twenty-five years since their Queen banished Iolanthe who had written all their songs and dances. She had married a mortal and, by fairy law should have died but was only banished. When the Queen enters she tells how she had commuted Iolanthe's death sentence to penal servitude on condition she leave her husband and never see him again. She gave her her choice of pleasant places to live, but for some unknown reason Iolanthe chose the bottom of the river. She hates to think of her living among the frogs and dampness.

The other fairies ask the Queen to pardon Iolanthe, they love her so. However, she fears she will forgive Iolanthe if she ever sees her again; she is the one who taught her to curl inside a buttercup, swing on a cobweb, and other fairy things. Eventually, she yields to their pleas, invokes Iolanthe from the watery depths, and pardons her. (Iolanthe) When Iolanthe appears and is asked why she chose the bottom of the river, she explains that it was to be near her son, the shepherd Strephon, born soon after she was banished. He is now twenty-four, inclined to be stout, a fairy down to his waist, but with mortal legs. The fairies exclaim that she looks too young to have a grown son but fairies are immortal and never grow old.

Just then Strephon enters, singing and playing his flageolet, and tells his mother he is to be married today. (Good morrow, good mother!) She asks if the Lord Chancellor has consented to his marriage to Phyllis who is a Ward of Chancery. The wards are not allowed to marry without the Chancellor's permission under penalty of penal servitude. No, he responds, he had sung his plea in court but was refused, and an usher in crumpled bands and rusty bombazine had led him out of court. However, the couple has agreed to marry anyhow and face the possible consequences.

When he is introduced to the other fairies Strephon greets them as his aunts and tells them Phyllis doesn't know of his fairyhood; he is afraid it will frighten her. He describes the problems his condition causes, not the least of which is his concern over what will happen when his mortal half ages and dies and is buried. What will happen to his fairy half? The Queen is sympathetic but says his fairy brain is ideal for an intellectual sphere of action like Parliament. She has a few boroughs at her disposal and will see what she can do. As we will see, the fairies are well educated and more intelligent that the member of the House of Lords. However, Strephon thinks Parliament would be difficult for him because his fairy top is a Tory but his legs are Radicals, and they would take him to the wrong lobby on a division; there are two of them against his one brain. However, the fairies will have a solution for that. (Fare thee well, attractive stranger)

After they leave, Phyllis enters, also playing a flageolet. (Good morrow, good lover) She has doubts about marrying him today. A Ward who marries without permission is sent to penal servitude for life; she will be of age in two years, why not wait? Strephon convinces her she is too beautiful to wait; the Lord Chancellor himself or one of the members of the House of Lords might fall in love with her in the interim. They make excuses now to come to see her. They all leave.

The Procession of Peers (Loudly let the trumpet bray)

The Lord Chancellor enters and sings of his problems as the guardian of his Wards when he himself is so susceptible and the girls are so young and pretty; there would be problems if he fell in love with one of them. (The Law is the true embodiment) Lord Tolloller calls the Peers to order. They have asked The Lord Chancellor to allow her marry whichever one of them she choosesbut he explains it is hard for him to give Phyllis to someone else because he is so attracted to her himself. This causes a dilemma.

Can he give his own consent to his own marriage with his own Ward? Can he marry his own Ward without his own consent? And if he marries his own Ward without his own consent, can his commit himself for contempt of his own Court? And if he commit himself for contempt of his own Court, can he appear by counsel before himself, to move for arrest of his own judgement? Ah, my Lords, it is indeed painful to have to sit upon a woolsack which is stuffed with such thorns as these!

Lord Mountararat announces that he has asked Phyllis to present herself to the Bar of the House. When she enters the Lords greet her rapturously. (Of all the young ladies that I know) She resolves not to be seduced by rank, but will remain in her lowly station and its accompanying virtue. Lord Tolloller replies that blue blood can also be virtuous. (Spur not the nobly born)

Hearts just a pure and fair
May beat in Belgrave Square
As in the lowly air
     Of Seven Dials!

However, she tells them they are wasting their time; her heart belongs to another. Strephon enters and claims her. Crushed, the Peers exit, followed by Phyllis. When they are alone, Lord Chancellor asks Strephon why he has disobeyed an order of the Court of Chancery. The shepherd replies that he knows no Courts of Chancery; he goes by Nature's Acts of Parliament and the Chancellor of birds and trees. However, there is no evidence but Strephon's word that Nature has interested herself in the matter. The Lord Chancellor explains his guidelines in court. (When I went to the Bar)

Iolanthe enters and tries to comfort Strephon who tells her the Lord Chancellor has separated him and Phyllis forever. She starts at the mention of the Lord Chancellor but tells her son that, since he is half a fairy, he can defy him down to the waist. Yes, he replies, but his bottom half could be committed to prison for years. What good is the rest of his body if his legs are serving seven years of penal servitude? His mother assures him she will plead his case with the Fairy Queen.

ACT I FINALE
Unseen by the embracing Strephon and Iolanthe, their conversation is overheard by Phyllis and the Peers who have appeared at the back of the stage. Taking Iolanthe for a seventeen-year old, they draw the obvious, if incorrect, conclusion. Strephon was taking his dolce fa niente with the young woman. (Oh shameless one, tremble) None believe Strephon when he says Iolanthe is his mother and, when Phyllis tells him he is a traitor, he leaves. In For riches and rank I do not long she regrets she gave up the love of the Lords for an untrue simple swain. She turns to Mountararat and Tolloller and says she will marry one of them and become a Countess; it's up to them to choose which one.

Strephon returns followed by the fairies, whom he tells what has happened. The Queen assures the the Peers that Strephon really is Iolanthe's son, but the Lord Chancellor insists the woman with Phyllis was not his mother; he could not see her face (which was veiled), but she must be seventeen and Strephon is nearly twenty-five. It's taradiddle. Lord Mountararat says it is a paradox because if she is his mother, she must be have been minus eight when he was born. Even when the Queen assures them Iolanthe is indeed Strephon's mother, they do not believe her and chide her for being rude to her betters. In turn, the Queen warns them she has supernatural powers greater than those of the Lords and will use them if they are not more respectful toward her.

When the Peers realize who the fairies really are, they confess they thought they were students on an outing from a girl's school.

A plague on this vagary,
I'm in a nice quandary!
    Of hasty tone
    With dames unknown
I ought to be more chary;
It seems that she's a fairy
From Anderson's library,
     And I took her for
    The proprietor
Of a Ladies'Seminary!!

The Queen will see that Strephon goes into Parliament and commands a large majority; every law he proposes will pass. Almost casting a spell, she predicts he will end their special privileges such as leaving Parliament for grouse and salmon season and Friday nights off. He will allow marriage with a deceased wife's sister and, worst of all, a man will have to pass a competitive examination to become a Peer! The Lords react haughtily to the idea of Strephon in Parliament while the fairies predict grief for those who oppose him and threaten the peers with their wands. When Strephon rejects Phyllis, she falls fainting into the arms of Lords Tolloller and Mountararat

ACT II Westminster: Night
Alone by moonlight, the sentry, Private Willis of the Grenadier Guards, sings of politics and the members of Parliament. (When all night long a chap remains) Every girl and boy is born alive either a Liberal or a Conservative (pronounced to rhyme with alive), and in Parliament they leave their brains outside and vote as their leaders tell them, never thinking for themselves or interfering with things they don't understand.

The fairies enter and dance around the stage. Strephon is now a member of the House of Commons and causing all sorts of confusion by carrying every bill he presents. The Lords Mountararat and Tolloller enter annoyed because that evening there will be the second reading of Strephon's bill to throw the Peerage open to Competitive Examination. It is sure to pass since Strephon is a Parliamentary Pickford's who carries everything. With a House of Peers "with no grandfathers worth mentioning", the country will go to the dogs. What will become of Commons if the Peers have brains? Until now things have gone very well with the Peers not presuming to interfere in things they did not understand. It all comes of women meddling in politics. Mountararat describes the House of Lords in better days. (When Britain really ruled the waves)

While the fairies admire the Peers, the Queen berates them, reminding them of the penalty for marrying a mortal. However, she is herself torn by her admiration for Private Willis. (Oh, foolish fay) She calls on Captain Shaw to quench the flames of her love.

Phyllis enters. Even though she is engaged to two different noblemen she is very unhappy. She hates Strephon because he has a mother younger than himself. When the two Lords in question enter she asks if they have decided which one she will marry. No, they say, she should decide. But there is nothing to choose between them! It would be simple if one would forgo his title and distribute his estates among his Irish tenantry. However, neither is willing to do this; if one claims Phyllis the two will have to duel to the death. The only solution is for one to withdraw on his own and this they both are unwilling to do. They swear nothing will interfere with their friendship and leave. The Lord Chancellor enters, thinking of his own unrequited love for Phyllis which is giving him nightmares. He sings his famous patter song, the Nightmare Aria.

Tollollover and Mountararat are sad to see him so unhappy. He is usually as happy as a bird and sings his judgments in court in F sharp minor. He tells them he declined his last application to himself and made it impossible to ever apply to himself again. They assure him that he can approach himself again. They sing a trio made up of old sayings with which to encourage him. Now optimistic, the Lord Chancellor resolves to ask himself for Phyllis's hand and the three go into a wild dance.

Strephon enters, mourning the loss of Phyllis to the two earls. When she appears he confesses to her his mother is a fairy — that is why she looks so young — and he himself is half a fairy; he has been afraid to tell her before. She happily replies she would rather have half a mortal she loves than a dozen men she does not. They agree to marry immediately. (If we're weak enough to tarry)

Iolanthe enters and blesses their union. Strephon asks her to plead their case with the Lord Chancellor, but she is reluctant. She finally confesses that the Chancellor is her husband and Strephon's father. When they hear him approaching, she quickly veils herself. He enters happily; he has finally asked himself and given himself his permission to marry Phyllis. Iolanthe, still veiled, pleads Strephon's cause. (He loves! If in the bygone years) Dismayed to find the Chancellor is resolved to marry Phyllis and unknowingly become a bigamist, Iolanthe removes her veil, breaking her vow never to speak to her husband again, and resigns herself to die. (Once again there are echoes of Wagner as the fairy chorus responds with "Aiaiah!Aiaiah! Willaloo!)

All the fairies confess that they too have just married. However, now, by fairy law, they must also die. The Chancellor as an old Equity draftsman has a solution. They will change the law to say that fairies will die if they do NOT marry a mortal! This means the Queen must also marry to save her life, and she gives into her attraction for Private Willis and asks if he would like to be a fairy and save her. He is more than happy to inconvenience himself as any British soldier would to save a female in distress, and Wings sprout from his shoulders. The Peers decide to become fairies as well. Since, members of Parliament are henceforth to be chosen from people of intelligence, present peers are useless as mortals. All sprout wings and fly off to fairyland, happily exchanging the House of Peers for the House of Peris. Instead of the fairies losing their wings, the Peers sprout them. Topsy-Turvy is complete.
(Soon as we may, Off and away)

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Revised January 2007
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.