If there's any exposition in the book as to why Nellie and Cable decide against marrying their loves (I don't remember the movie or any other stage production well enough to remember if there is), that was cut. But the basic theme of the need to overcome such prejudice was there.
As is appropriate, for as we saw from the theatre department schedule, their theme this year was "Tolerance". Also on the offering were The Laramie Project, certainly a relevant choice, and The Comedy of Errors, which I guess is about the Ephesians learning to tolerate the Syracusans.
Ironic that Gilbert & Sullivan was considered "safe", as it was plenty subversive in its day. The catch is that institutions like the House of Lords and 19C British governmental pluralism aren't exactly relevant to 20/21C American concerns. Though the general theme of human folly remains everywhere. The only G&S whose specific topic still bites uncomfortably is the one that satirizes women's education, and surprise it isn't played much today, though artistically it's very good.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-06 06:23 am (UTC)As is appropriate, for as we saw from the theatre department schedule, their theme this year was "Tolerance". Also on the offering were The Laramie Project, certainly a relevant choice, and The Comedy of Errors, which I guess is about the Ephesians learning to tolerate the Syracusans.
Ironic that Gilbert & Sullivan was considered "safe", as it was plenty subversive in its day. The catch is that institutions like the House of Lords and 19C British governmental pluralism aren't exactly relevant to 20/21C American concerns. Though the general theme of human folly remains everywhere. The only G&S whose specific topic still bites uncomfortably is the one that satirizes women's education, and surprise it isn't played much today, though artistically it's very good.