Utopia (Limited) - Gilbert and Sullivan with a Kiwi Flavour

The Really Authentic Gilbert and Sullivan Performance Trust (RAGSPT) is presenting the entire G&S repertoire in chronological order over the 11-year period 2002-2012. In September 2011, the twelfth opera, Utopia (Limited), is scheduled for performance in Dunedin with an exciting cast.

What could be more appealing for a small undeveloped South Pacific Island than to seek future prosperity by adopting the business and cultural practices of the leader of the civilised world, that great imperial power, Great Britain? This is the premise of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia (Limited), first performed in 1893. The satire is as witty as anything Gilbert ever produced, for his targets range across a wide spectrum of English culture, from the military to the law to local government and business. And the music contains some real gems, as Sullivan’s style continued to develop and become both more sophisticated and more lyrical.

Our production of Utopia (Limited) will certainly use the potential offered by the text to present a Gilbert and Sullivan opera with a Kiwi flavour. The story tells of the decision by King Paramount to import English customs and business models to turn his country into a flourishing modern state. Our audiences in 2011 will hear resonances of many kinds – with Rogernomics, with colonial practices, with big-power arrogance, and with local feelings of independence and do-it-yourself.

Utopia (Limited) will feature the Southern Sinfonia in the pit.

Bookings: Regent Theatre, Dunedin (03) 477 8597 or 0800 4 TICKET or 0800 224 224. Website bookings: www.ticketdirect.co.nz. Booking fees apply.

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