Gilbert and Sullivan well, and on 13 May 1883, at a party to celebrate the composer's 41st birthday, the guests, including the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), heard a direct relay of parts of "Iolanthe" from the Savoy. This was probably the first live "broadcast" of an opera. During the run of "Iolanthe", in 1883, Sullivan was knighted by Queen Victoria. Although it was the operas with Gilbert that had earned him the broadest fame, the honour was conferred for his services to serious music. The musical establishment, and many critics, believed that this should put an end to his career as
Cultural influence of Gilbert and Sullivan "Hollywood Pinafore", the 1975 animated film "Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done" and, more recently,"Gondoliers" (2001; a Mafia-themed adaptation) and "Pinafore Swing" (2004), each of which was first produced at the Watermill Theatre, in which the actors also served as the orchestra, playing the musical instruments. Shows that use G&S songs to tell the story of the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership include a 1938 Broadway show, "Knights of Song", and a 1975 West End show called "Tarantara! Tarantara!" Many other musicals parody or pastiche the operas. However, the influence of Gilbert and Sullivan on goes beyond musical theatre to comedy in