Just What Is It About Gilbert And Sullivan That Makes Them Live On?

“So, here was a quintessentially English operetta set in a make-believe Japan, being performed by Americans in Bangkok, 90 years after it was written. If being able to survive rough handling and transplantation into unfamiliar cultural territory is the sign of a masterpiece, then the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan must rank among the greatest. And unlike some canonical works, these have never suffered a dip in their fortunes.”