His Majesty (opera)

The work premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London on 20 February 1897, running for only 61 performances until 24 April 1897, despite a strong cast including George Grossmith, Ilka Pálmay, Scott Russell, Fred Billington, Florence Perry and Walter Passmore.

When the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership collapsed after the production of The Gondoliers in 1889, impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte struggled to find successful new works to present at the Savoy Theatre.

[1] Arthur Sullivan had produced two operas for the Savoy in the early 1890s with librettists other than W. S. Gilbert, but neither had proved particularly successful, and pieces by other composers, for example Mirette, had fared worse.

However, Ferdinand has fallen in love with the peasant maid Felice, the adopted daughter of an old woodman, and has wooed her while disguised as a court artist.

But it turns out that Felice and her trunk bear a secret that changes everything: Proof that she is, in fact, Chloris's older sister, and thus the one meant to be engaged to Ferdinand all along.

Carte assembled a high-quality team for His Majesty, including the well-known dramatist and writer F. C. Burnand and the well-respected composer Alexander Mackenzie.

Grossmith was well and fondly remembered for his creation there of the comedy roles in the famous series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and during his years away, he had become the most popular solo piano entertainer in the country.

[4] London's leading stage director, Charles Harris, was engaged, but he died a few days before the opera premiered, leaving the Cartes to finish his work.

The histrionic Hungarian actress, Ilka Pálmay, who had been engaged for The Grand Duke and was still under contract to Carte, played Felice, a role that gave her many opportunities to display her talents as ballad singer, opera soprano and comedian.