Patience

Creation

In the 1880’s, a movement called the Aesthetic Movement swept through England. Aestheticism is the art of appreciating beauty. Many young men, the most famous of which is Oscar Wilde, carried aestheticism to extremes. Oscar Wilde dressed in aesthetic clothes, and carrying a giant sunflower lectured at great length, all over England.

In November of 1880, Gilbert had an outline that he showed to Sullivan. It was a story about two rival curates. Again, Gilbert had borrowed from his Bab Ballads. He soon became nervous about doing a piece on rival clergy because he didn’t think that the public or the critics would approve.

One day an idea hit him. Why not do the same story, but with rival aesthetic poets? It seemed perfect to Gilbert, and Sullivan agreed, albeit a little reluctantly.

Sullivan, being the procrastinator that he was, played a lot of roulette in France, when he was supposed to be working on the music. Consequently, Sullivan only finished the music three days before the opening night. Patience opened April 23, 1881 at the Opera Comique.

Plot Synopsis

Act one opens on a chorus of twenty lovesick maidens dressed in aesthetic clothes, singing, and accompanying themselves on medieval instruments. They are in love with an aesthetic poet named Reginald Bunthorne. Lady Jane, a true but aging disciple of the aesthetic tells the other maidens that Bunthorne is in love with Patience, the village milkmaid. They ladies are incredulous that their beloved Bunthorne would fall in love with someone who doesn’t even know what love is.

Just then, Patience enters. She shakes her head over these lovesick ladies, and tells them that their old fiancés, the 35th dragoon guards will be there any moment. The ladies are unimpressed and leave to serenade their Bunthorne.

The dragoons make a pompous entrance, but are surprised and indignant, when the ladies ignore them. They are following Bunthorne around, who is composing a poem. He admits to the audience,

“Though my book I seem to scan
In a rapt aesthetic way,
Like a literary man
Who despises female clay,
I hear plainly all they say-
Twenty lovesick maidens they”

The dragoons storm out saying that this is “ridiculous, preposterous”. The ladies finally leave Bunthorne alone, and he admits that he is “an aesthetic sham”. He is only doing this because of the ladies’ admiration. Bunthorne sees Patience, and tells her that he loves her. Patience replies that she doesn’t know what love is, but she doesn’t believe that “under any circumstances I could possibly love you.” Bunthorne wanders off despondently.

Patience immediately goes to Lady Angela, and asks her “what on earth is this love that upsets everyone? And secondly, how can it be distinguished from insanity?” Lady Angela tells her that “love is the one unselfish emotion in this world of grasping greed.” Patience decides to go and fall in love with somebody at once. But who is this? A new poet enters. It is none other than Archibald Grosvenor, an idyllic poet who grew up with Patience. Patience is in love with Grosvenor, until she remembers that love has to be unselfish, and Mr. Grosvenor is perfect, so it would be selfish to marry him.

Meanwhile, Bunthorne, in despair decides to raffle himself off, to the ecstasy of the ladies, and the anger of the dragoons. Patience stops the proceedings by declaring that there can be nothing selfish about loving him, and offers to marry Bunthorne. The ladies are nearly reconciled with the dragoons, when Grosvenor walks in. They find out that he is aesthetic and fall in love with him to the horror of everybody else, including Grosvenor.

The ladies following Grosvenor around opens act two. Among them, only Lady Jane is still faithful to Bunthorne.

Grosvenor, meanwhile, is trying to get the ladies to leave him alone. He finally succeeds, for the moment. Bunthorne walks in on Patience crying. He doesn’t believe that she really loves him. Bunthorne decides to confront Grosvenor, because he “can’t live without admiration”.

The Colonel, Major, and Duke (the lieutenant) walk in. They have decided that the only way to regain the affections of the ladies is by becoming as aesthetic as they are. So these three gentlemen are dressed up like aesthetics, carrying flowers, and trying to strike stained-glass attitudes. The attitudes are not very good, because they are doing them with military precision. The Lady Angela and Lady Saphir see them and agree that if Mr. Grosvenor will not marry them, they would marry the officers.

Bunthorne confronts Grosvenor, and demands that Grosvenor become a commonplace young man, or he will be cursed. Grosvenor agrees to undergo the change. Now, Bunthorne decides that he will become an idyllic poet, like Mr. Grosvenor was. Patience can no longer love him, because he is now perfect.

Grosvenor comes back an everyday young man, followed by a group of everyday young girls, who had decided that if Archibald Grosvenor “decides to discard aestheticism, this proves that aestheticism ought to be discarded.” The ladies are re-united with the dragoons, and Patience can marry Grosvenor. All that is left for Bunthorne is the elderly Lady Jane. But wait- the Duke has determined to choose a bride. Jane? Lady Jane would rather be a duchess, so Bunthorne will have to be contented with a tulip or lily.

Public Reception

The run of Patience broke all previous records. It ran for 578 performances. Patience was a big hit in England, but not so much in America.

The reason for that was that America had not really been exposed to Aestheticism yet, so they didn’t understand what Patience was about. Wily Carte thought up a scheme to make Patience popular. He applied to his good old friend Oscar Wilde.

Carte sent him on a tour across America. Wilde even attended a performance of Patience. After Wilde’s tour, Patience became much more popular in America.

The Savoy Theatre

By now, Carte had made enough money to buy a larger theater. The Savoy Theatre has 1,292 seats. It was the most modern theater of the time. In fact, the Savoy was the first theater with electric lighting. Patience inaugurated the Savoy Theater in October of 1881, with new scenery and costumes worthy of the brighter, larger stage. Sullivan conducted and his friend the Prince of Wales attended.