Portal:Classical music/Selected article/4

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Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old, is an operatic extravaganza that was the first collaboration between dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. It was never published, and most of the music is now lost. However, Gilbert and Sullivan would go on to become one of the most famous and successful partnerships in Victorian England, creating a string of comic opera hits, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado, that continue to be popular throughout the English-speaking world. Thespis premièred in London at the Gaiety Theatre on December 26, 1871. Like many productions at that theatre, it was written in a broad, burlesque style, considerably different from Gilbert and Sullivan's later works. It was a modest success—for a Christmas entertainment of the time—and closed on March 8, 1872, after a run of 63 performances.The story follows an acting troupe headed by Thespis, the legendary Greek father of the drama, who temporarily trade places with the now elderly gods on Mount Olympus.