The dramatist and author W. S. Gilbert wrote approximately 80 dramatic works during his career, as well as light verse, short stories and other works. He is best remembered for his series of 14 libretti for his joint operatic works with the composer Arthur Sullivan, but many of his other dramatic works were popular successes.Stedman, Jane W. "Gilbert, Sir William Schwenck (1836–1911)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004, online edition, May 2008, accessed 10 January 2010
List In the following list, the title of each work appears in the first column, along with any further information (such as the source of an adaptation). The genre appears in the second column, and if the piece had music, the composer's name is listed in parentheses. The theatre and date of first performance appear in the third and fourth columns. All theatres were in London, unless otherwise stated. The works are listed in the approximate order of composition. (In a few cases, the first performance was many years after the work was first published.)
TitleGenreTheatreDateUncle Baby One-Act ComediettaLyceum Theatre1863-10-31Ruy Blas [published in Warne's Christmas Annual, 1866, based on the Victor Hugo drama, Ruy Blas.]BurlesqueunperformedN/AHush-a-Bye, Baby, on the Tree Top; or, Harlequin Fortunia, King Frog of Frog Island, and the Magic Toys of Lowther Arcade [written with Chas. Millard]PantomimeAstley's1866-12-26Dulcamara! or, The Little Duck and the Great Quack [parody of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore]ExtravaganzaSt. James's Theatre1866-12-29La Vivandière; or, True to the Corps! [parody of Donizetti's La fille du régiment]ExtravaganzaSt. James's Hall, Liverpool1867-06-15Robinson Crusoe; or, The Injun Bride and the Injured Wife [written with H. J. Byron, Tom Hood, H. S. Leigh and Arthur Sketchley]BurlesqueHaymarket1867-07-06Allow Me to ExplainOne-Act FarcePrince of Wales's Theatre1867-11-04Highly ImprobableOne-Act FarceRoyalty Theatre1867-12-05A Colossal Idea [first pub. 1932]One-Act FarceunperformedN/AHarlequin Cock Robin and Jenny Wren; or, Fortunatus and the Water of Life, the Three Bears, the Three Gifts, the Three Wishes, and the Little Man who Woo'd the Little MaidPantomimeLyceum1867-12-26The Merry Zingara; or, The Tipsy Gipsy and the Pipsy Wipsy [parody of Balfe's The Bohemian Girl]ExtravaganzaRoyalty1868-03-21Robert the Devil; or, The Nun, the Dun, and the Son of a Gun [parody of Meyerbeer's Robert le diable]ExtravaganzaGaiety Theatre1868-12-21No CardsOne-Act Musical Entertainment (Thomas German Reed/"Lionel Elliott"?)Gallery of Illustration1869-03-29The Pretty Druidess; or, The Mother, the Maid, and the Mistletoe Bough [parody of Bellini's Norma]ExtravaganzaCharing Cross Theatre1869-06-19An Old Score [revived as Quits]Three-Act ComedyGaiety1869-07-26Ages AgoOne-Act Musical Entertainment (Frederic Clay)Gallery of Illustration1869-11-22A Medical Man [published in Clement Scott's Drawing-Room Plays (1870)]One-Act FarceSt. George's Hall1872-10-24The Princess [based on Tennyson's poem]Blank-Verse ParodyOlympic Theatre1870-01-08The Gentleman in BlackTwo-Act Musical Play (Frederic Clay)Charing Cross1870-05-26Our Island HomeOne-Act Musical Entertainment (Thomas German Reed)Gallery of Illustration1870-06-20The Palace of TruthThree-Act Fairy ComedyHaymarket1870-11-19The Brigands [translated and adapted from Les brigands by Meilhac and Halévy; published by Boosey, 1871]Three-Act Comic Opera (Jacques Offenbach)Theatre Royal, Plymouth1889-09-02Randall's ThumbThree-Act ComedyCourt Theatre1871-01-25A Sensation NovelMusical Entertainment in Three "Volumes" (Thomas German Reed)Gallery of Illustration1871-01-30Creatures of ImpulseOne-Act Musical Play (Alberto Randegger)Court1871-04-28Great Expectations [adapted from the Dickens novel]DramaCourt1871-05-29On GuardLink to the libretto of On Guard and review in The Times, Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, 25 November 2009Three-Act Melodramatic ComedyCourt1871-10-28Pygmalion and GalateaThree-Act Fairy ComedyHaymarket1871-12-09Thespis; or, The Gods Grown OldTwo-Act Comic Opera (Arthur Sullivan)Gaiety1871-12-26Happy ArcadiaOne-Act Musical Entertainment(Frederic Clay)Gallery of Illustration1872-10-28The Wicked WorldThree-Act Fairy ComedyHaymarket1873-01-04The Happy Land [written as F. Tomline, with Gilbert à Beckett]Two-Act Burlesque of The Wicked WorldCourt1873-03-03The Realm of Joy [written as F. Latour Tomline: freely adapted from Le Roi Candaule by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy; title changed after a few nights to The Realms of Joy]One-Act FarceRoyalty1873-10-18The Wedding March [written as F. Latour Tomline: translated from Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie by Eugène Labiche]Three-Act FarceCourt1873-11-15CharityFour-Act DramaHaymarket1874-01-03Ought We To Visit Her? [adapted from the novel by Annie Edwardes]Trutt, David. "Ought We To Visit Her?" at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, accessed 10 September 2010 Three-Act DramaRoyalty1874-01-17Committed For Trial [written as F. Latour Tomline: translated from Le Réveillon by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy]Two-Act FarceGlobe Theatre1874-01-24The Blue-Legged Lady [no author named: translated from La Dame aux Jambes d'Azur by Eugène Labiche and Marc-Michel]One-Act FarceCourt1874-03-04TopsyturveydomOne-Act Extravaganza(Alfred Cellier)Criterion Theatre1874-03-21SweetheartsTwo-Act ComedyPrince of Wales's Theatre1874-11-07Rosencrantz and Guildenstern [published in Fun, December 1874]Burlesque in Three Short "Tableaux"Vaudeville Theatre1891-06-03Trial by JuryOne-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Royalty1875-03-25Tom Cobb; or, Fortune's ToyThree-Act FarceSt. James's 1875-04-24Eyes and No Eyes; or, The Art of SeeingOne-Act Musical Entertainment (Thomas German Reed)St. George's Hall1875-07-05Broken HeartsThree-Act Verse DramaCourt1875-12-09Princess TotoThree-Act Comic Opera (Frederic Clay)Theatre Royal, Nottingham1876-06-24Dan'l Druce, BlacksmithThree-Act DramaHaymarket1876-09-11On Bail [revised version of Committed for Trial]Three-Act FarceCriterion1877-02-03EngagedThree-Act Farcical ComedyHaymarket1877-10-03The SorcererTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Opera Comique1877-11-17The Forty Thieves [written with Robert Reece, F. C. Burnand, and H. J. Byron; three performances for charity]PantomimeGaiety1878-02-13The Ne'er-Do-Weel [rewritten and restaged three weeks later as The Vagabond]Three-Act DramaOlympic1878-02-25H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass that Loved a SailorTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Opera Comique1878-05-25Gretchen [based on Goethe's Faust]Four-Act Verse TragedyOlympic1879-03-24Lord Mayor's Day [translated from La Cagnotte by Eugène Labiche. Gilbert translated the first two acts, but was not credited.]Three-Act FarceFolly Theatre1879-06-30The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of DutyTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Bijou, Paignton; Fifth Avenue, NY; and Opera Comique1879-12-30 & 1879-12-31Patience; or, Bunthorne's BrideTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Opera Comique1881-04-23Foggerty's FairyThree-Act FarceCriterion1881-12-15Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the PeriTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy Theatre1882-11-25Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant [revised version of The Princess]Three-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy1884-01-05Comedy and TragedyOne-Act DramaLyceum1884-01-26The Mikado; or, The Town of TitipuTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy1885-03-14Ruddygore; or, The Witch's Curse [retitled Ruddigore after a few days]Two-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy1887-01-22The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and his MaidTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy1888-03-10Brantinghame HallFour-Act DramaSt. James's1888-11-29The Gondoliers; or, The King of BaratariaTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy1889-07-12The MountebanksTwo-Act Comic Opera(Alfred Cellier)Lyric Theatre1892-01-04Haste to the Wedding [operatic version of The Wedding March]Three-Act Comic Opera(George Grossmith)Criterion1892-07-27Utopia (Limited); or, The Flowers of Progress [retitled Utopia Limited after a few days]Two-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy1893-10-07His ExcellencyTwo-Act Comic Opera(F. Osmond Carr)Lyric1894-10-27The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory DuelTwo-Act Comic Opera(Arthur Sullivan)Savoy1896-03-07The Fortune HunterThree-Act DramaTheatre Royal, Birmingham1897-09-27Harlequin and the Fairy's Dilemma [retitled The Fairy's Dilemma after a few days]Two-Act Domestic PantomimeGarrick Theatre1904-05-03Fallen Fairies; or, The Wicked World [operatic version of The Wicked World]Two-Act Comic Opera(Edward German)Savoy1909-12-15The HooliganOne-Act DramaLondon Coliseum1911-02-27Trying a Dramatist; [published in Original Plays, Fourth Series (1911)]Trutt, David. "Trying A Dramatist by W. S. Gilbert" at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, accessed 10 September 2010One-Act Sketchunknownunknown
See also List of musical compositions by Arthur Sullivan Bibliography of W.S. Gilbert
Notes
References
External links
List of Gilbert's works at The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive