Savoy Opera – Patience By Gilbert and Sullivan

20 Lovesick maidens have rejected their worldly Dragoons Guards to trail the aesthetic poet Bunthorne. Much to their dismay, Bunthorne spurns them for Patience the milkmaid, who in turn spurns him for yet another aesthetic poet; Grosvenor. The outraged military men go to great lengths to win their ladies back and chaos ensues.

A lampoon of the British class system, this tale pokes good natured fun at patriotism, party politics, and the rise of unqualified people to positions of authority. The opera lampoons the aesthetic movement of the 1870s and '80s in England and, more broadly, on fads, superficiality, vanity, hypocrisy, and pretentiousness; it also satirizes romantic love, rural simplicity and military bluster.

A mirthful and humorous show, its score features many of the legendary duo’s popular songs, including Sad is that Woman's Lot, Twenty Love-Sick Maidens We and Love is a Plaintive Son.