Gilbert & Sullivan company performs ‘Iolanthe’ Aug. 6-7 at Black Box Theatre in Las Cruces

The Gilbert & Sullivan Company of El Paso (GSCEP) has two performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic operatic comedy this weekend at Black Box Theatre, 430 N. Main St. in downtown Las Cruces.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7.

Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for seniors and students.

“Iolanthe or The Peer and the Peri” is “an ingeniously witty and magical comedy that presents a topsy-turvy tale of forbidden love between fairies and mortals – peers of the English House of Lords, no less,” GSCEP said in a news release.

“Strephon is the half-fairy, half-mortal son of the fairy Iolanthe and has fallen in love with Phyllis, a ward of the court. But for them to marry, Phyllis needs the Lord Chancellor's permission, which is going to be tricky as he hopes to marry her himself – as do half of the house of Lords.

First performed in 1882, “Iolanthe” is the seventh of 14 operatic collaborations by dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), both of London.

The Gilbert & Sullivan Company of El Paso was founded by the late Joan Quarm in 1969 with the purpose of education by preserving and presenting the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The company relies on ticket sales for most of its operating revenue and also receives support from the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

For reservations and more information, call BBT 575-523-1223 and visit http://no-strings.org/. Also visit GSelpaso.org.