Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

Comic Opera in Two Acts By Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan
Libretto By Sir W. S. Gilbert
First Produced London, May 28th, 1878
Chief Characters Josephine, Little Buttercu p , Captain Corcoran, Ralph Rackstraw, Dick
Deadeye, Sir Joseph Porter
THE action takes place on board H.M.S. Pinafore, where Captain Corcoran is worried at finding
things "at sixes and sevens." A bumboat woman, known as " Little Buttercup," although she is in
reality a big, buxom, rosy dame, has long preserved a secret; and when she comes on board she
has a mysterious interview with Dick Deadeye, one of the seamen. A very important visitor
arrives, Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., who is attended by "his sisters, and his cousins and his aunts,"
who all sing his praises. He desires to marry Josephine, the daughter of Captain Corcoran; but this
pretty maid has fallen in love with Ralph Rack-straw, who, though but a common seaman, has
attracted her by his handsome looks and gallant bear-ing, and she therefore declines the offer of
the great personage, much to his annoyance. The lovers have a secret meeting, and arrange to
elope at midnight from the vessel; but their plans are overheard by Dick Deadeye, who informs the
Captain. Just as Ralph and Josephine are about to steal away from the boat, the Captain appears
with Sir Joseph, and an angry scene ensues. The wrathful Sir Joseph soon orders the Captain to the
ships dungeon for using profane language, and young Ralph meets with the same fate for having
dared to attempt an elopement with the Captains daughter. Sir Joseph is just lecturing the weeping
Josephine when " Little Buttercup" appears and reveals her long-preserved secret, which is to the
effect that in her early days when she had charge of a baby farm she received two babies, one
being well-born and the other a child of the streets. To please her fancy, she changed the infants
and "mixed them up," so that no one knew their identity. She now states, however, that the wellborn
child was Ralph Rackstraw, and that the child of the streets was Captain Corcoran. This
being so, Sir Joseph sends for the prisoners, and makes Ralph the Captain, commanding Corcoran
to serve as a seaman. The latter makes no objection, but comforts himself by taking "Little
Buttercup" as his wife, to her entire satisfaction, this having been the sole object of her confession;
and since Sir Joseph would offend his sisters and his cousins and his aunts did he take a seamans
daughter as his bride he magnanimously bestows her upon the gallant Jack, and all ends happily.
158. IOLANTHE; OR, "THE PEER AND THE
PERI"
Comic Fairy Opera in Two Acts By Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan
Libretto By Sir W. S. Gilbert
First Produced London, November, 1882
Chief Characters Iolanthe, Phyllis, Queen of the Fairies, Strephon, The Lord Chancellor, Private
Willis, Earl of Mountararat, Earl of Tololler
ACT 1 takes place in Arcady, where the fairies are assembled for the purpose of imploring their
Queen to pardon one of their number, Iolanthe, who, because she married a mortal, has been
condemned to pass the remainder of her life head-first in a pool of water. The Fairy Queen, who is