The Rajah of Shivapore is a comic opera with music by Alfred Hill and libretto by David Souter.
Setting: India The temple to Shiva at Shivapore has been barricaded by the corrupt tippler temple-keeper Chunder, to hide the fact that he has pawned the little golden idol.
His only hope of escaping retribution is to persuade his lovely but reluctant daughter, Aimee, to marry the Rajah after somehow disposing of his Ranee.
The Rajah, who has not only been cheated of his prize but also defrauded, orders decapitations all round, but then a supposed Hindustani beggar reveals himself as the Emperor, and everyone gets their just dues.
[3][4][5] plus chorus and dancers Despite wartime constraints, the opera was received enthusiastically by the first-night audience which, in that tiny auditorium, consisted largely of knowledgeable theatregoers and music lovers.