The Rose of Persia
Encyclopedia
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
, with music by Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
and a libretto by Basil Hood
Basil Hood
Basil Willett Charles Hood was a British librettist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including The Merry Widow. He embarked on a career in the British army, writing theatrical pieces in his spare...
. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
on 29 November 1899, closing on 28 June 1900 after a profitable run of 211 performances. The opera then toured, had a brief run in America and played elsewhere throughout the English-speaking world.
The original cast included Savoy Theatre regulars Ellen Beach Yaw
Ellen Beach Yaw
Ellen Beach Yaw was an American coloratura soprano, best known for her concert singing career. She had an extraordinary vocal range and could produce unusually high notes. Known as "Lark Ellen" or "The California Nightingale," she was reportedly the only known soprano of her era who could sing...
, Rosina Brandram
Rosina Brandram
Rosina Brandram was an English opera singer and actress primarily known for creating many of the contralto roles in the Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
, Emmie Owen
Emmie Owen
Emmie Owen was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company...
, Louie Pounds
Louie Pounds
Louisa Emma Amelia "Louie" Pounds was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in musical comedies and in mezzo-soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
, Isabel Jay
Isabel Jay
Isabel Jay was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and in musical comedies...
, Walter Passmore
Walter Passmore
Walter Henry Passmore was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
, Henry Lytton
Henry Lytton
Sir Henry Lytton was an English actor and singer who was the leading exponent of the comic patter-baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas in the early part of the twentieth century...
and Robert Evett
Robert Evett
Robert Evett was an English singer, actor, theatre manager and producer.-Acting career:In 1892 Evett joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company on tour in The Vicar of Bray, playing the Reverend Henry Sandford, the tenor lead. In 1893, Evett added the role of Oswald in Haddon Hall...
. Later, Decima Moore
Decima Moore
Lilian Decima, Lady Moore-Guggisberg, CBE , better known by her stage name Decima Moore, was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and in musical comedies. She was the youngest of ten siblings...
joined the cast as Scent-of-Lillies.
The opera was regularly revived by amateur theatre groups, particularly in Britain, through the 1950s, but it has been produced only sporadically since then. The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players
New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players
New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players is a professional repertory theatre company, based in New York City that has specialized in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan for over 35 years...
produced the opera professionally in 2007 at New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
.
Background
When the Gilbert and SullivanGilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
partnership collapsed after the production of The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
in 1889, impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
struggled to find successful new works for the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
. He was able to bring Gilbert and Sullivan together briefly for two more operas ("Utopia, Limited
Utopia, Limited
Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a run of 245 performances...
" and "The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel, is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on March 7, 1896, and ran for 123 performances...
"), neither of which was a great success. He also paired Sullivan with several other librettists, but none of the resulting operas were particularly successful. Carte's other new pieces for the Savoy
Savoy opera
The Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
in the 1890s had done no better. In Basil Hood
Basil Hood
Basil Willett Charles Hood was a British librettist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including The Merry Widow. He embarked on a career in the British army, writing theatrical pieces in his spare...
, Sullivan finally found a congenial new collaborator, giving the Savoy its first significant success since the early 1890s. Sullivan worked together on the new piece, originally entitled Hassan, over the summer of 1899. Unlike W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
, Hood did not direct his own works, and the Savoy's stage manager, Richard Barker, acted as stage director. Costumes were designed by Percy Anderson
Percy Anderson
Percy Anderson was an English stage designer and painter, best known for his work for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's company at His Majesty’s Theatre and Edwardian musical comedies.-Life and career:...
.
Ellen Beach Yaw
Ellen Beach Yaw was an American coloratura soprano, best known for her concert singing career. She had an extraordinary vocal range and could produce unusually high notes. Known as "Lark Ellen" or "The California Nightingale," she was reportedly the only known soprano of her era who could sing...
, and he prevailed upon the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
to cast her in the role. Leading soprano Ruth Vincent
Ruth Vincent
Ruth Vincent was an English opera singer and actress, best remembered for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1890s and her roles in the West End during the first decade of the 20th century, particularly her role as Sophia in Tom...
quit the company when she was passed over for the role (although she soon played the Sultana in New York). Sullivan wrote a special high cadenza
Cadenza
In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
for one of Yaw's songs, "'Neath My Lattice," to show off her extraordinary range. Yaw's first two nights were shaky, though the reviews were mixed, and both the music director, Francois Cellier
François Cellier
François Arsène Cellier , often called Frank, was an English conductor and composer. He is best known for his tenure as music director and conductor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during the original runs and early revivals of the Savoy operas.-Life and career:Cellier was born in South Hackney,...
, and Mrs. Carte advocated her replacement. Sullivan at first agreed, though writing in his diary on 2 December 1899, "I don’t quite see what it’s all about — Miss Yaw is not keeping people out of the theatre as Cellier and the Cartes imply." By 10 December, however, he wrote in his diary that Yaw was "improving rapidly" and "sang the song really superbly: brilliant. So I wrote again to Mrs. Carte saying that I thought if we let Miss Yaw go it would be another mistake." It was too late, however, and the next day Yaw was dismissed summarily by Mrs. Carte (ostensibly on account of illness). Isabel Jay
Isabel Jay
Isabel Jay was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and in musical comedies...
was promoted to play the part.
The first performance, on 29 November 1899, was a reassuring success – the first that the Savoy had enjoyed since Utopia Limited six years earlier. The piece played for a total of 211 performances, closing on 28 June 1900, and D'Oyly Carte touring companies soon were performing The Rose of Persia around the British provinces and then throughout the English-speaking world. In New York, it opened at Daly's Theatre on 6 September 1900, closing on 29 September 1900 after 25 performances. Ruth Vincent played the Sultana, Hassan was John Le Hay
John Le Hay
John Le Hay was the stage name of John Healy was an Irish-born singer and actor best remembered for his portrayal of the comic baritone roles in the Savoy Operas.-Early career:...
, the Sultan was Charles Angelo, and Yussuf was Sidney Bracy. After Rose proved to be a hit, Sullivan and Hood teamed up again, but the composer died, leaving their second collaboration, The Emerald Isle
The Emerald Isle
The Emerald Isle; or, The Caves of Carrig-Cleena, is a two-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and Edward German, and a libretto by Basil Hood. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 27 April 1901, closing on 9 November 1901 after a run of 205 performances...
, unfinished. The Rose of Persia was Sullivan's last completed opera.
Rose is firmly reminiscent of the style of the earlier Savoy successes, with its topsy-turvy plot, mistaken identities, the constant threat of executions, an overbearing wife, and a fearsome monarch who is fond of practical joking. Although critics found Hood inferior to Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
, his delight in comic word-play at times resembles the work of his great predecessor. With its episodic plot, its exotic setting, and its emphasis on dance numbers, Rose also takes a step towards musical comedy, which by 1899 was the dominant genre on the London stage.
When Sullivan died, his autograph scores passed to his nephew, Herbert Sullivan
Herbert Sullivan
Herbert Thomas Sullivan was the nephew, heir and biographer of the British composer Arthur Sullivan. After his uncle's death, Sullivan became active in charitable work...
, and then to Herbert's widow. After her death, the collection was broken up and sold by auction at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in London on 13 June 1966. Some items were sold for considerable sums (the score of Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
sold for £9,000), but the manuscript of The Rose of Persia sold for a mere £90, passing to a collector. Upon the death of this collector, almost forty years later, the manuscript was bequeathed to Oriel College, Oxford, and in December 2005 scholars from the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society were able to examine the manuscript, along with other Sullivan autograph manuscripts. They discovered, at the back of The Rose of Persia, an item that had been cut from the show before the premiere, which was not even known to exist.
Subsequent productions and recordings
The only professional British revival of The Rose of Persia was at Princes Theatre in London from 28 February 1935 to 23 March 1935, closing after 25 performances. This immediately followed a successful revival of Merrie EnglandMerrie England (opera)
Merrie England is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who is portrayed as jealous of the affection of Sir Walter Raleigh for Bessie Throckmorton. Its sunny depiction of...
by Hood and Edward German
Edward German
Sir Edward German was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of English comic opera.As a youth, German played the violin and led the town orchestra, also...
. The producer, R. Claude Jenkins, hoped to make the Princes the home of a series of British light opera, but the disappointing response to The Rose of Persia quashed these plans.
In recent decades, interest in performing the work has revived among amateur and professional societies. The work has been seen several times at The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
, England (most recently in concert in 2008), and the Festival has a video of the 2008 performance available. The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players
New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players
New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players is a professional repertory theatre company, based in New York City that has specialized in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan for over 35 years...
performed the opera at New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
in January 2007. The St. David's Players of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
in the UK performed the piece in October 2009 having previously presented it in October 1990.
The first recording of The Rose of Persia was released in 1963 by St. Albans Amateur Operatic Society. Another recording was made in 1985 by Prince Consort, and one was produced for BBC Music Magazine
BBC music magazine
BBC Music Magazine is a magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom by BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Reflecting the broadcast output of BBC Radio 3, the magazine is devoted primarily to classical music, though with sections on jazz and world music. Each edition comes...
in 1999. Although the BBC recording is the most professionally produced, many fans prefer the earlier recordings.
Roles and original cast
- The Sultan Mahmoud of Persia (lyric baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) – Henry LyttonHenry LyttonSir Henry Lytton was an English actor and singer who was the leading exponent of the comic patter-baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas in the early part of the twentieth century... - Hassan (a philanthropist) (comic baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) – Walter PassmoreWalter PassmoreWalter Henry Passmore was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.... - Yussuf (a professional story-teller) (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) – Robert EvettRobert EvettRobert Evett was an English singer, actor, theatre manager and producer.-Acting career:In 1892 Evett joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company on tour in The Vicar of Bray, playing the Reverend Henry Sandford, the tenor lead. In 1893, Evett added the role of Oswald in Haddon Hall... - Abdallah (a priest) (bass-baritoneBass-baritoneA bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
) – George Ridgwell - The Grand Vizier (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) – W. H. Leon - The Physician-in-Chief (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) – Charles Childerstone - The Royal Executioner (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) – Reginald Crompton - Soldier of the Guard (bass) – Powis Pinder
- The Sultana Zubeydeh (named "Rose-in-Bloom") (coloratura sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) – Ellen Beach YawEllen Beach YawEllen Beach Yaw was an American coloratura soprano, best known for her concert singing career. She had an extraordinary vocal range and could produce unusually high notes. Known as "Lark Ellen" or "The California Nightingale," she was reportedly the only known soprano of her era who could sing... - The Sultana's favourite slaves:
- "Scent-of-Lilies" (sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) – Isabel JayIsabel JayIsabel Jay was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and in musical comedies... - "Heart's Desire" (mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
) – Louie PoundsLouie PoundsLouisa Emma Amelia "Louie" Pounds was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in musical comedies and in mezzo-soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.... - "Honey-of-Life" (SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) – Emmie OwenEmmie OwenEmmie Owen was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company...
- "Dancing Sunbeam" (Hassan's first wife) (ContraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
) – Rosina BrandramRosina BrandramRosina Brandram was an English opera singer and actress primarily known for creating many of the contralto roles in the Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.... - "Blush-of-Morning" (his twenty-fifth wife) (SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) – Agnes Fraser - Wives of Hassan:
- "Dancing Sunbeam" (Hassan's first wife) (Contralto
- "Oasis-in-the-Desert" – Madge Moyse
- "Moon-Upon-the-Waters" – Jessie Pounds
- "Song-of-Nightingales" – Rose Rosslyn
- "Whisper-of-the-West-Wind" – Gertrude Gerrard
- Chorus (Act I) — Hassan's Wives, Mendicants, and Sultan's Guards
- Chorus (Act II) — Royal Slave Girls, Palace Officials, and Guards
Act I
Scene: Court of Hassan's House.Wealthy Hassan is contented with his peaceful life in Persia. He is surrounded by his twenty-five wives, (he has carelessly miscounted and dismisses his 26th wife) including his first wife, Dancing Sunbeam, who wishes that they would mingle more with high society. Hassan is known for generously entertaining travellers and the poor in his home. Abdallah, the High Priest, arrives. Abdallah accuses Hassan of madness, because he consorts with beggars and other riff-raff, which he says does not follow Islam. He threatens to drive the evil spirit out of Hassan by force. As evidence of his sanity, Hassan offers to make out his will in Abdallah's favour. Abdallah agrees that anyone who would do this must be sane. Dancing Sunbeam plans to share Hassan's fortune with Abdallah should Hassan perish.
Yussuf, a traveling story-teller, arrives, shortly followed by four of the Sultana's slaves, who have slipped out of the palace disguised as dancing girls to explore the outside world. One of the girls, Heart's Desire, quickly falls in love with Yussuf. Another is actually Rose-in-Bloom, the Sultana. They know that they will surely be executed if the Sultan learns of their absence. Yussuf says that he will ensure that they return home safely. Hassan invites Yussuf, the girls, and a crowd of beggars and cripples into his home, offering them supper. Yussuf sings them a drinking song, and the "dancing girls" also perform for them. Abdallah enters with two police offers to arrest the unruly group. Hassan helps the beggars escape while Abdallah reads the warrant.
Abdallah orders the dancing girls arrested. Heart's Desire, who is wearing the Sultana's ring, steps forward and claims that she is the Sultana. By doing so, she hopes to provide Rose-in-Bloom (the real Sultana) with an alibi. Abdallah, thinking he has found the Sultana consorting with another man, is delighted, as he is sure the Sultan will order Hassan's execution. Abdallah expects that he will inherit Hassan's wealth under the will. Dancing Sunbeam realises that Abdallah has double-crossed her, and she will not share any of Hassan's estate after all.
After Abdallah leaves, Hassan distributes a narcotic drug called "bhang," which he says will relieve the distress of their impending execution. Rose-in-Bloom giddily tells Hassan that she is the real Sultana. Hassan, anticipating his execution, takes a triple dose of "bhang". Heart's Desire announces that the Sultan himself is about to arrive, along with his Grand Vizier, Physician-in-Chief and Royal Executioner, all disguised as dancing dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
es. The Sultan has decided to investigate for himself the rumours of Hassan's mad behaviour.
Intoxicated with "bhang," Hassan tells them that he doesn't care about the Sultan or his Executioner. The Physician realises that Hassan has overdosed on "bhang". He says the effect of the drug is that Hassan will gradually consider himself a person of more and more importance, until he suddenly falls unconscious for ten hours. Hassan starts behaving exactly as the Physician had described, claiming that he actually is the Sultan. As evidence of this, he tells them that he will introduce the Sultana. The actual Sultan is incensed that anyone would imitate his Sultana and says that the perpetrator will be punished. In the meantime, he decides to play a trick on Hassan and tells the Vizier to conduct Hassan to the palace and treat him as if he were the Sultan. They tell Hassan's wives that Hassan has been leading a double-life and is really the Sultan disguised. Hassan, believing that he is the Sultan, orders Rose-in-Bloom to lift her veil, so all may see that she is the Sultana, and threatens her with execution should she refuse. Fortunately, he collapses from the drug's effects before she does so. The Sultan orders him taken to the palace.
Act II
Scene: Audience Hall of the Sultan's Palace, the next morning.Yussuf sneaks into the Sultan's palace and tells Heart's Desire that he intends to ask the Sultan for her hand and will explain how they had met. She notes that the truth is likely to get them all executed and suggests that he make up a story instead. The Sultan enters, telling the members of his Court that they are to treat Hassan as if he were the Sultan. The Sultan is amused by Hassan's behaviour, as no one has ever treated him so disrespectfully. It also might be convenient to have a fake Sultan available, as he wants to take a holiday.
Dancing Sunbeam arrives. She has heard that Hassan is now the Sultan, and therefore she announces that she is now the Sultana and looks forward to her new social rank. The Sultan plays along, and he summons the real Sultana, Rose-in-Bloom, so that he can let her in on the joke. Rose-in-Bloom, however hears that a new Sultana has been installed and fears that the Sultan has discovered her excursion outside the palace. She is relieved to find that he does not know about it, but she is afraid that he will find out. She coyly asks him what he would do if, hypothetically, she were to sneak out on a lark. He replies that if she ever did do such a thing, she would be executed.
Hassan is brought in, still unconscious. When he wakes up, he is confused to find that he is being treated like a king and appalled to find that he now has 671 wives. Yussef arrives to ask the Sultan for Heart's Desire's hand in marriage, but he becomes flustered. Abdallah arrives to accuse the Sultana of consorting with Hassan. When the Sultan hears this, he calls an end to the practical joke. He orders Hassan executed. He further decrees that he will divorce Rose-in-Bloom and will force her to marry Yussuf, a mere story-teller. Yussuf and Heart's Desire are both despondent, as they now cannot marry each other.
Dancing Sunbeam enters, still believing that she is the new Sultana. The slave girls put a veil on Dancing Sunbeam. When the Executioner enters to carry out the Sultan's order, he mistakes Dancing Sunbeam for the Sultana and causes Yussuf to be married to her. Both Dancing Sunbeam and Yussuf are unhappy at the result. Hassan, though, is happy to be rid of the overbearing Dancing Sunbeam, although he assumes he has only a few minutes to live. The Vizier announces that the Sultan has relented and will allow the Sultana to offer an explanation. The Sultan is delighted to find that the Executioner divorced and married the wrong woman.
Heart's Desire explains that it was she who wore the Sultana's Royal Ring at Hassan's residence. Rose-in-Bloom is exonerated, but the Sultan decrees that Heart's Desire must die (for impersonating the Sultana), Abdallah must die (for making a false accusation), and Hassan remains condemned (for falsely claiming to have entertained a visit from the Sultana). Rose-in-Bloom begs the Sultan to spare her slave, as Heart's Desire has been telling her an interesting story, and she would like to hear the end of it. Hassan quickly claims to be the source of the story, and so the Sultan says he may live until he finishes telling it – as long as it has a happy ending.
The Sultan gives them a few minutes to compose themselves. Abdallah offers to help tell the story, and Hassan agrees after Abdallah returns the will, which Hassan tears up. None of them can think of an acceptable story, but when the Sultan returns, Hassan hits on an idea. He sings a song about "a small street Arab", and when it is over, he tells the Sultan that it is the story of his own life. Since the Sultan has decreed that it must have a happy ending, it follows that his execution must be cancelled. The Sultan admits that he has been outwitted, but he orders Dancing Sunbeam restored to Hassan, allowing Yussuf to marry Heart's Desire, and all ends happily.
Musical numbers
- Overture (includes: "Hark, the distant roll of drums" and "Hassan, thy pity I entreat")
Act I
- 1."As We lie in langour lazy... I'm Abu'l Hassan" (Chorus of Girls [Wives], with Hassan)
- 2. "When Islam first arose" (Abdallah with Girls)
- 3. "O Life has put into my hand" (Dancing Sunbeam)
- 4. "Sunbeam, the priest keeps saying... If a sudden stroke of fate" (Blush-of-Morning, Dancing Sunbeam, and Abdallah)
- 5. "If you ask me to advise you" (Rose-in-Bloom, Scent-of-Lilies, and Heart's Desire)
- 6. "'Neath my lattice through the night" (Rose-in-Bloom)
- 7. "Tramps and scamps and halt and blind" (Chorus of Beggars and Girls)
- 8. "When my father sent me to Ishpahan" (Hassan with Chorus)
- 9. "Peace be upon this house... I care not if the cup I hold" (Yussuf with Chorus)
- 10. "Musical Maidens are we... Dance and Song (Ensemble, Honey-of-Life and Hassan with Chorus and Dancers)
- 11. "We have come to invade" (Abdallah with Hassan and Chorus)
- 12."The Sultan's Executioner" (Dancing Sunbeam, Rose-in-Bloom, Scent-of-Lillies, Heart's Desire, Honey-of-Life,Yussuf, Hassan, and Abdallah)
- 13. "I'm the Sultan's Vigiliant Vizier" (Sultan, Vizier, Physician, and Executioner)
- 14. "Oh, luckless hour!" (Company)
Act II
- 15. "Oh, What is love?" (Heart's Desire and Yussuf)
- 16. "If you or I, should tell the truth" (Scent-of-Lilies, Honey-of-Life, Heart's Desire, and Yussuf)
- 17. "From morning prayer" (Physician, Grand Vizier, and Executioner with Chorus)
- 18."Let the satirist enumerate a catalogue" (Sultan with Chorus)
- 19. "In my heart of my hearts I've always known" (Dancing Sunbeam, with Blush-of-Morning, Honey-of-Life, Heart's Desire, Sultan, Vizier, and Physician)
- 20. "Suppose - I say, Suppose" (Rose-in-Bloom and Sultan)
- 21 "Laughing low, on Tip-toe" (Hassan, Physician, Vizier, and Executioner with Chorus)
- 22 "It's a busy, busy, busy, busy day for thee" (Scent of Lilies, Heart's Desire, Yussuf, Hassan, and Executioner, with Chorus)
- 23. "Our tale is told" (Yussuf)
- 24. "What does it mean?... Joy and Sorrow Alternate" (Dancing Sunbeam, Blush-of-Morning, Yussuf, and a Royal Guard)
- 25. "It has reached me a lady named Hubbard" (Scent-of-Lilies, Honey-of-Life, Heart's Desire, Dancing Sunbeam, Yussuf, Hassan, and Abdallah)
- 26. "Hassan, the sultan with his court approaches" (Hassan, Physician, Executioner, Vizier, Sultan, and Chorus)
- 27. "There was once a small street arab" (Hassan with Chorus)
- 28. "A bridal march" (Company)
An additional number was cut from Act II (originally Act II, No. 11), which would have fallen after Number 24 above. It is an octet, for Rose-in-Bloom, Scent-of-Lilies, Honey-of-Life, Heart's Desire, Physician, Sultan, Hassan and Executioner, with a solo verse sung by each of the first two. The first line is "Let her live a little longer!" The song reiterates everyone's desire that the Sultan spare Rose-in-Bloom's slave from execution. St David's Players assert that they presented the premiere stage performances of this number, in context, in their 2009 production of the opera. They previewed the piece in September 2009 at the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society Festival at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.
External links
- The Rose of Persia at The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive, with links to the libretto, score, MIDI files and other information.
- The Rose of Persia at The Gilbert & Sullivan Discography
- Programme from the original production
- Review in The Times, 30 November 1899
- Article on Yaw, Jay and The Rose of Persia casting
- Photographs of The Rose of Persia 1990 production by St David's Players, Exeter, UK
- Site describing 2004 amateur production