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Description:
The Favorites Collection includes five Gilbert and Sullivan operettas produced for British television: The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Gondoliers, and Patience. The Opera World series (1982) is the only comprehensive Gilbert and Sullivan series on video. It comprises 12 G&S works (if you cheat and count Cox and Box, written by Sullivan without Gilbert), including, for some titles, the only available version. In terms of quality, the series is uneven. There are some treasures, but some productions have a disconsolate penny-pinching look, and a few need more rehearsal. The casts are a blend of Broadway singers, British and American comedians, and D'Oyly Carte veterans, with stars including William Conrad (The Mikado) and singer-songwriter Peter Allen (The Pirates of Penzance). Frequent standout performers include Keith Michell, Clive Revill, Kate Flowers, and Anne Collins, who shines as a procession of unloved older women. Of this set, the highlight is The Gondoliers, in which Sullivan's Italianate score--his most radiant--sets the tone, though there's a fair helping of Gilbert's trademark wit. H.M.S. Pinafore is erratic though of generally high musical quality, The Mikado has good performers but lacks spark, Patience (a favorite of many aficionados) has some casting flaws, and the pleasures of Pirates are sporadic at best. A better choice is the 10-disc Master Collection, which includes four of the series' standouts, Ruddigore, The Sorcerer, Iolanthe, and Princess Ida, as well as The Yeomen of the Guard. --David Olivenbaum
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