2024 Patience

NOTE: All shows feature supertitles for song lyrics. The Oct 6 and Oct 11 performances will additionally feature supertitles for dialogue scenes (transcribed from the libretto script).

Patience, a comical operetta, satirizes the artistic ‘Aesthetic Movement’ of the 1870’s in true Gilbert & Sullivan style, with an abundance of tongue in cheek melodrama and masterfully witty comedy.

All the well-born young ladies in the village, rapturously caught up in Aestheticism are in love with two contrasting aesthetic poets — a ‘fleshly’ poet and an ‘idyllic’ poet. But the poets are both in love with Patience, the simple village milkmaid, who cares nothing for poetry. Patience learns that true love must be completely unselfish – “it must wither and sting and burn!”

The girls’ military suitors don’t see the point to aesthetics, and provide a beautiful, humorous contrast to our aesthetic poets with their regimented, sometimes clumsy, military ways. However, due to their frustration at being overlooked, they decide to give ‘it’ a try, to win the women’s hearts.

A delightful, hilarious musical romp that has entertained audiences around the world for over a hundred years.

Music Director Guy Russo; Stage Director Patrick Daniels