{"product_id":"9781350613911","title":"Empire of Topsy-Turvy The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas' Transformation of Victorian Musical Theatre","description":"\u003ch1\u003eEmpire of Topsy-Turvy\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThe Gilbert and Sullivan Operas' Transformation of Victorian Musical Theatre\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRichard Godbeer\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Theater \/ Broadway \u0026amp; Musicals\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Without Gilbert and Sullivan, there would be no Sondheim, no Lloyd Webber, no Lin-Manuel Miranda. Their operettas laid the groundwork for the modern musical, blending satire, melody and narrative in a way that still resonates today.” (Telegraph) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Gilbert and Sullivan operas – including \u003ci\u003eThe Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Pirates of Penzance\u003c\/i\u003e – rapidly became a theatrical sensation when they premiered in late Victorian London.  Despite their seeming trivial character, the operas' libretti, musical settings, and performance style were so innovative as to be revolutionary. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEmpire of Topsy-Turvy\u003c\/i\u003e provides a vivid, fresh, and accessible account of why and how these path-breaking nineteenth-century comic operas by dramatist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan became such a spectacular success in Britain and a lasting national institution. Gilbert's topsy-turvy satire combined with Sullivan's equally satirical and charming music created a distinctive genre of light operatic entertainment. This new critical study, in turn, combines biography, storyline and analysis to delve into Gilbert and Sullivan's performance style and the appeal of the operas and the Savoy Theatre to a strait-laced middle-class audience and nationalistic sentiment. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDesigned for all readers interested in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas as well as theatrical history in general, and drawing on extensive research from archival sources on both sides of the Atlantic, alongside recent work by other scholars, \u003ci\u003eEmpire of Topsy-Turvy\u003c\/i\u003e explains how the Gilbert and Sullivan phenomenon emerged in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, what made the operas so innovative, and why they drew such large and devoted audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eRichard Godbeer\u003c\/b\u003e is the award-winning author of six books on cultural history. His previous titles have explored the history of witchcraft trials and the histories of gender and sexuality.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e04 March 2027\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethuen Drama\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781350613911\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e304\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16.0\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51331924623500,"sku":"9781350613911","price":90.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_b1d9a6b4-06a2-4397-9844-53c68e0bdedc.jpg?v=1783600263","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781350613911","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}