The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Inc. has been a mainstay of Chicago's Hyde Park cultural scene since the company's first production, The Gondoliers, in 1960. Incorporated on March 4, 1964, the Company is devoted to the promotion and performance of the musical arts and to the presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan's delightful operatic oeuvre.
Our 2009 Production will be Gilbert & Sullivan's underappreciated but wonderfully witty opera Ruddigore, in which a noble lad strives to overcome a hereditary curse while wooing the village maiden (with her chorus of perpetual bridesmaids) and being tormented by the ghosts of his ancestors! The show will be presented at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall in March of 2009. For more information, click here or on the Future button above.
Our 2008 Production was Gilbert & Sullivan's masterpiece blending fantasy and political satire in a delightful romp through the Houses of Parliament: Iolanthe, which materialized in a delightful production at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall on March 14-16, 2008. Once again, Stage Director Thrisa Hodits, Music Director William White, and Producer Mark Johnson combined to present a sparkling version of what many aficionados consider G&S's best work.
Our 2007 Production was Gilbert & Sullivan's first full-length smash hit and a perennial favorite: H.M.S. Pinafore, which delighted audiences once again at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall on March 9-11, 2007. Stage Director Thrisa Hodits and Music Director William White, with the support of Producer Mark Johnson and an outstanding cast, created what one reviewer called "a jaunty look at H.M.S. Pinafore" and our "greatest achievement in recent memory."
Our 2006 Production was Gilbert & Sullivan's grandest operetta of them all: the dramatic The Yeomen of the Guard, staged for enthusiastic audiences on March 10-12, 2006, at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall. Jamie Axtell, who portrayed Major-General Stanley in the 2005 producion of Pirates, stepped behind the footlights to become Stage Director, and teamed up with returning Music Director Andrew Kohler and Producer Mark Johnson to bring this heart-wrenching masterpiece to life.
Our 2005 Production was the ever popular The Pirates of Penzance, presented on March 11-13, 2005, at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall. This time it was Producer Mark Johnson, Music Director Andrew Koehler, and Director Adam Kozlowski who joined forces with an outstanding cast and the University of Chicago orchestra to present this timeless classic to enthusiastic audiences who left with a smile on their lips and a song in their hearts.
Our 2004 Production was Patience, presented on March 11-14, 2004, and it marked the company's 45th production and its 20th collaboration with the University of Chicago's Department of Music. Producer Mark Johnson, Music Director Chung Park, and Director Jill Van Brussel teamed up to produce a visually stunning and musically joyous production that captured all the delightful charm of this witty operetta. In November, 2004, a video tape of one of the Patience performances was presented twice on the city of Chicago's three cable television providers.
For a summary of past productions of the company, click here or on the Past button above.
