Outdoor operetta — Gilbert & Sullivan's 'Gondoliers' to take the stage at Deer Valley

The operetta opens in Venice, where brothers Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri, who are gondoliers, are about to be married to Gianetta and Tessa. But their marital bliss will soon be marred when the Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro, along with their daughter, Casilda, and their drummer boy, Luiz, enter and inform everyone that one of the two brothers is in fact the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Barataria. Unfortunately, no one except Luiz's mother knows which one it is. Complicating matters is the fact that the young heir was married to Casilda when both were just infants.

The brothers and an entire group of gondoliers then travel to Barataria. Neither Marco nor Giuseppe minds ruling the kingdom jointly until Luiz's mother is found and brought to court to unveil who the real king is. In the meantime, the two brothers turn the court and the aristocracy on its head. They don't believe in a monarchy; they're republicans at heart, and they elevate all of their friends to the nobility.

Finally, Luiz's mother is brought in and she reveals that neither Marco nor Giuseppe is the heir to the throne, but Luiz. Everything ends happily, especially for Luiz and Casilda, since both have been secretly in love with each other, and the brothers return to Venice with their wives and friends.

"It's really great social satire," said Steichen, who learned the operetta when he was at college. "It pokes fun at British society, the monarchy and the aristocracy."

Steichen, stage director Patricia Weinmann, tenor George Dyer and soprano Lisa Vroman recently met with the Deseret Morning News in the Utah Opera Production Studios to talk about the upcoming performances of "The Gondoliers."

"You have two different groups here," Steichen said. "You have the Italians (the gondoliers) and the Spaniards (the duke and duchess and their entourage). They're never onstage at the same time until the end, so it seems like two unrelated stories."

For Weinmann, who also directed the other three Gilbert & Sullivan productions at Deer Valley, this is her first exposure to "The Gondoliers." "I didn't know it before," she said. "It's a fantastic show and a cut up from the others."

"The Gondoliers" is also different from other G&S operettas in that there is a greater emphasis on music. "There is more music in this than in the others," Steichen said. And having Italian and Spanish characters populate the story gives Sullivan ample opportunities for incorporating dances into the score. "The music is delightful," Steichen said. "The harmonies are more complex, and there are more dance forms. With 'The Gondoliers,' Sullivan moves toward grander opera."

The chorus also has an expanded role in this work, unlike most of the other Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. The Utah Opera Chorus gets a chance to be solidly in the spotlight, much to the delight of both Steichen and Weinmann. "The chorus is getting a real workout here," said Steichen. "The chorus is fabulous," Weinmann said. "They are professionals. When they come to rehearsals, they're on and focused, prepared and committed. It makes the process joyful and easy."