to an offending menial." As scholar Andrew Crowther has explained: Things soon degraded, Gilbert lost his temper with his partners and brought a lawsuit against Carte. Sullivan supported Carte by making an affidavit erroneously stating that there were minor legal expenses outstanding from a battle Gilbert had in 1884 with Lillian Russell when, in fact, those expenses had already been paid. When Gilbert discovered this, he asked for a retraction of the affidavit; Sullivan refused. Gilbert felt betrayed. Sullivan felt that Gilbert was questioning his good faith, and Sullivan had other reasons to stay in Carte's good graces: Carte was building a new theatre, the Royal English Opera House (now the Palace Theatre), to produce Sullivan's only grand opera, Ivanhoe. After The Gondoliers closed in 1891, Gilbert withdrew the performance rights to his libretti, vowing to write no more operas for the Savoy. Gilbert's aggressive, though successful, legal action had embittered Sullivan and Carte. But the partnership had been so profitable that Carte eventually sought to reunite the dramatist and composer. After many failed attempts by Carte and his wife, Gilbert and Sullivan reunited through the efforts of their music publisher, Tom Chappell. In 1893, they produced their penultimate collaboration, Utopia, Limited, but The Gondoliers would prove to be Gilbert and Sullivan's last big hit. Utopia was only a modest success, and their final collaboration, The Grand Duke, in 1896, was a failure. After that, the two never collaborated again. Roles The Duke of Plaza-Toro, A Grandee of Spain (comic baritone) Luiz, his Attendant (lyric baritone or tenor) Don Alhambra del Bolero, the Grand Inquisitor of Spain (bass-baritone) Marco Palmieri, Venetian Gondolier (tenor) Giuseppe Palmieri, Venetian Gondolier (baritone) Antonio, Venetian Gondolier (baritone) Francesco, Venetian Gondolier (tenor) Giorgio, Venetian Gondolier (bass) Annibale, Venetian Gondolier (speaking role/chorus) The Duchess of Plaza-Toro (contralto) Casilda, her Daughter (soprano) Gianetta, Contadina (soprano) Tessa, Contadina (mezzo-soprano) Fiametta, Contadina (soprano) Vittoria, Contadina (mezzo-soprano) Giulia, Contadina (mezzo-soprano or soprano) Inez, the King's foster-mother (contralto) Chorus of Gondoliers and Contadine, Men-at-Arms, Heralds and Pages Synopsis Act I The scene opens in Venice with 24 farm girls declaring their passionate love for a pair of gondoliers, Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri. These two gondoliers are so gallant and peerless in their manly beauty that the maidens are waiting for them to select brides before they can consider other suitors. A large group of merry gondoliers enter, saying that they adore the