“The song of birds in ivied towers;
the rippling play of waterway;
the lowing herds, the breath of flowers;
the languid loves of turtle doves.
These simple joys are all at hand
upon thy shores, O Lazyland!”
Utopia, Limited
Utopia, Limited or The Flowers of Progress
April 8 to 24, 1988
Utopia, Limited Program
Our production of Utopia, Limited was dedicated to the memory of long-time and founding company member, alto Charlotte Overend.
A Word About Our Upcoming 2024 Production
Our company has revised Utopia, Limited to address both the literary and structural issues with the operetta and the issues of racism and imperialism implicit in the original script. We encourage you to read about our revisions on our website’s Utopia, Limited Revised page and to review the revised script.
It is our hope that our revision version Utopia, Limited, which we share freely, will help to make it possible for Utopia, Limited to become an operetta that is performed far more regularly by Gilbert and Sullivan companies around the world.
Directors
| Stage Director: | Donna Carroll |
| Music Director: | Carolyn Davies |
| Artistic Director: | Wendy Evans |
Director’s Note
Utopia, Limited is one of the least-performed of all the Savoy operas and will probably be entirely new and unfamiliar to most of you. Its music is charming and spirited, and you may catch one or two musical references, including one “borrowed” by Sullivan from his own work. In this opera, the subject of parody is civilization itself, and the libretto presents an unusually large number of distinct characters, each satirizing a specific aspect of Western society. The plot is less a cohesive drama than a series of clever vignettes, and we hope you’ll find our production amusing and entertaining.
Donna Carroll
Two excellent internet resources for information about Utopia, Limited:
Show Poster
Company Photo
Photography by Daniels Studio>
“Such, at least, is the tale, which is born on the gale,
from the island which dwells in the sea.
Let us hope, for her sake that she makes no mistake,
that she’s all she professes to be!”
Utopia, Limited
Photo Gallery
