“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!”

—Phylla
Utopia, Limited
The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company’s Production of

Utopia, Limited or The Flowers of Progress

April 8 to 24, 1988

Photo Gallery

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:

Wikipedia – Utopia, Limited

The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive – Utopia, Limited

Utopia, Limited 1988 Show Poster

Show Poster

Utopia, Limited 1988 Company Photo

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!”

—The Full Company
Utopia, Limited