Carr as the composer for the new piece. Carr had enjoyed success in musical comedy, with In Town (1892), Morocco Bound (1893) and Go-Bang (1894), but critics inevitably found him inferior to Sullivan. In His Excellency, among other satiric targets, Gilbert ridicules Henry Labouchère's claims to impartiality in the song "When a gentleman supposes". Labouchère, whose lover Henrietta Hodson feuded with Gilbert in 1877, had been a frequent theatrical critic of Gilbert's. Labouchère founded a personal weekly journal, Truth, in 1877, in which he pursued his anti-semitic, anti-suffrage and anti-homosexual social agenda. The journal was often sued for libel. Productions The original production at the Lyric Theatre in London opened on 27 October 1894, and closed on 6 April 1895 after 162 performances. For the cast of His Excellency, Gilbert was able to engage former Savoy opera stalwarts George Grossmith, Rutland Barrington, Alice Barnett, Charles Kenningham and Jessie Bond, as well as John Le Hay and the young musical comedy star, Ellaline Terriss. Many of the choristers from the Savoy Theatre, who had been disappointed with the recent short run of Mirette there, joined Gilbert's production, and Helen Carte accused Gilbert of poaching the D'Oyly Carte chorus. Choreography was by John D'Auban, and costumes were by Percy Anderson. His Excellency premiered at the Lyric Theatre, London, under the management of George Edwardes, on 27 October 1894. The production and libretto received enthusiastic notices, though the score met a mixed reception. After the opera opened, Gilbert wrote to Helen Carte, "if it had had the benefit of your expensive friend Sullivan's music, it would have been a second Mikado" (quoted in Wolfson 1976, p. 65). The London run of just over five months (162 performances, closing on 6 April 1895), cut short because of an influenza epidemic, was a disappointment. Nevertheless, the opera had a respectable provincial tour and a Broadway production opening at the former Broadway Theatre on 14 October 1895, which ran for 88 performances. Roles Synopsis The scene is laid in Elsinore, Denmark, in 1801. Act I The people of Elsinore celebrate a newly unveiled statue of the Prince Regent. Its creator, Erling Sykke, has been named Sculptor to the Royal Family. After the townspeople leave, Christina remains, transfixed. She tells Erling that she is in love with the statue. Erling's friend, Dr. Tortenssen, has been named Physician to the King. The two men are in love with