Iolanthe – Wilton’s Music Hall

Picture: Craig Fuller

Iolanthe continues at Wilton’s Music Hall, London until 28 February 2026.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

‘Bow, bow ye lower middle classes,’ sing the entitled peers as they make their entrance in Iolanthe. Gilbert and Sullivan’s satire on the absurdity of inherited power from 1882 is still bang on the money in 2026. The piece premiered in the newly built Savoy Theatre, the first theatre in the world to be lit by electricity. Perhaps it was this that led to the crazy plot which brings two very different worlds together: the House of Lords and Fairyland. The fairies of 1882 were illuminated in a way never seen before, and the House of Lords are still illuminated by the sharp nib of Gilbert’s pen.

Rachel Szmukler’s set lands us firmly in the House of Lords library, replete with bookshelves, leather chairs and a distinct whiff of stale smoke. The bells of Big Ben set the scene and the flickering of desk lamps heralds the arrival of very human fairies.

John Savournin’s highly entertaining production rollocks away, particularly in Act II, and is chock-full of verbal and physical gags. Ben Pickersgill’s lighting is simple and effective, and the set is bathed in Union Jack red and blue for the entrance of the above-mentioned peers. Molly Fraser’s fairy costumes are wonderfully home-spun with newspaper wings and white clumpy boots. Conductor David Eaton and the Charles Court Chamber Orchestra set the tone for an evening of comedic contradictions with their thumping accompaniment to the opening fairy chorus.

The talented Sarah Prestwidge and Martha Jones are first-rate comedically in their double roles as both the fairies Celia and Leila and as the chorus of peers. Their voices blend beautifully as the fairies, but the peers’ chorus suffers from the lack of male voices as it ‘tzing booms’ away.

Another gender-swapping casting works better; rather than the Earl of Mountararat, we have Lady Mountararat, played by the inimitable Catrine Kirkman. She does a very funny turn as Margaret Thatcher and even gets in a nod to Churchill in ‘When Britain really ruled the waves’. This works for the over-40s, but for a younger audience, there is a plethora of politicians ripe for lampooning. Some of the political dialogue is even updated to include topics such as Donald Trump and ChatGPT.

You will be hard pushed to find Gilbert and Sullivan better sung than by this sterling cast of soloists. Meriel Cunningham’s rich old-fashioned contralto voice adds an air of authenticity to The Fairy Queen. Eleanor O’Driscoll’s pure mezzo gives an ethereal quality to Iolanthe herself. As the star-crossed young lover Phyllis, Llio Evans sings with conviction, often with a wry glance to the audience. Matthew Palmer uses his fine baritone voice to good effect, both as the other star-crossed lover Strephon and as the doddery House of Lords librarian, Willis. It is a delight to hear such an excellent tenor as David Menezes’ Earl Tolloller. Matthew Kellett’s frenzied nightmare song is a standout moment with crisp words and breathless anxiety.

Of course, the fairies win in the end with the peers retreating to Fairyland as the peerage is to be thrown ‘open to Competitive Examination’. This fun production, with excellent singing in a beautiful historic venue, is well worth the price of the ticket.

Effie Gray