In which Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta would you see Ralph Rackstraw and Sir Joseph Porter?
Gilbert and Sullivan stars of whatever theatre he happened to be writing for, as had been the case with "Thespis" and "Trial by Jury". Building on the team he had assembled for "The Sorcerer", Gilbert no longer hired stars; he created them. He and Sullivan selected the performers, writing their operas for ensemble casts rather than individual stars. The repertory system ensured that the comic patter character who performed the role of the sorcerer, John Wellington Wells, would become the ruler of the Queen's navy as Sir Joseph Porter in "H.M.S. Pinafore", then join the army as Major-General Stanley in "The Pirates of
Operetta musicals in Britain retained an "operetta-ish" flavour, at least musically, into the 1950s. American operetta composers included Victor Herbert, whose works at the beginning of the 20th century were influenced by both Viennese operetta and Gilbert and Sullivan. He was followed by Sigmund Romberg and Rudolph Friml. More modern American operettas include Leonard Bernstein's "Candide". Nevertheless, American operetta largely gave way, by the end of World War I, to musicals, such as the Princess Theatre musicals, and revues, followed by the musicals of Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and others. Informational notes Citations Bibliography Further reading Operetta Operetta