Gilbert and Sullivan place a piece like this on the stage in so complete a fashion." The opera enjoyed a run longer than any of their other joint works except for "H.M.S. Pinafore", "Patience" and "The Mikado". There was a command performance of "The Gondoliers" for Queen Victoria and the royal family at Windsor Castle in 1891, the first Gilbert and Sullivan opera to be so honoured. "The Gondoliers" was Gilbert and Sullivan's last great success. Gilbert and Sullivan sometimes had a strained working relationship, partly caused by the fact that each man saw himself as allowing his work to be subjugated to
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival year for awards including "International Champion". At the weekends there are professional Gilbert and Sullivan performances, including performances each year by the Festival's homegrown National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. A smaller nearby theatre and other venues host the Festival fringe, which consists of dozens of performances and lectures, a memorabilia fair, and other events. The Festival was founded in 1994 and continues to be produced by English businessman Ian Smith, his son Neil, and their family to preserve and enhance the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. It also has a goal of reinstating