Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The male lead - tired of being the handsomest man in the world with whom every woman he meets falls madly in love - yearns for an ordinary existence. E.g:-
'A Chancery Lane young man,
A Somerset House young man,
A very delectable, highly respectable,
Threepenny-bus young man!'
From which operetta?
2. A 'common sailor' claims English nationality as a defence to a charge brought by his captain. The Bosun backs this by pointing out :-
'For he might have been a Roosian,
A French, or Turk, or Proosian,
Or perhaps Itali-an.'
From which operetta?
3. Not all of Gilbert's text is set to music. From which of the operettas does the following extract of 'recitative' come :-
(Mr W) . . 'We have it in four and a half and nine gallon casks.. and we deduct 10 per cent for prompt cash.
(Alexis) I should mention that I am a Member of the Army and Navy Stores.
(Mr W.) In that case we deduct 25 per cent.'
4. A feature film about Gilbert and Sullivan was called 'Topsy Turvey' because of Gilbert's penchant for turning situations on their head. The following is an extract listing the chaos that would ensue if a king made all subjects equal to himself :-
'When you have nothing else to wear
But cloth of gold or satins rare,
For cloth of gold you cease to care -
Up goes the price of shoddy.'
From which operetta?
5. From which operetta does the following insult (if an insult it be) come?
'She may very well pass for forty-three
In the dusk, with a light behind her!'
6. Another instance of 'topsy-turvey' :-
'Are you old enough to marry, do you think?
Won't you wait till you are eighty in the shade?
There's a fascination frantic
In a ruin that's romantic;
Do you think you are sufficiently decayed?'
From which operetta?
7. The last phrase of the following extract must have meant something different when first staged in 1882 from what it would today :-
'I heard the minx remark,
She'd meet him after dark,
Inside St James's Park,
And give him one!'
From which operetta?
8. The final lines of the last new operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan first staged in March 1896 :-
'This will be a day delightful-
Each shall have a pretty wedding!
Such a pretty, pretty wedding!
Such a pretty wedding!'
Which was it?
9. From a solo by Captain Sir Edward Corcoran, RN :-
'And thanks to coal and thanks to coke,
We never run a ship ashore!
(All) What never?
(Capt.C) No, never!
(All) What never?
(Capt.C) Well, hardly ever!'
Which opera is this line from?
10. A severe rebuke :-
(Dame Carruthers)'Prisoner's flown!
Spite of ye all, he is free - he is free!
Whom do ye ward? Pretty warders are ye!'
Where will you find these lines?
Source: Author
Pimplehead
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
agony before going online.
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