Leslie Baily wrote this definitive study of W.S. Gilbert, Arthur Sulivan and D'Oyly Carte at at time (early 1950s) where the copyright on the operettas was about to expire. Since that unhappy date, G&S has been swamped by the amateur dramatic societies and it is rare that one comes across a production which captures the brilliance of the original conception. Occasionally, an opera company puts on a good show but while they do justice to Sullivan it is usually at the expense of the libretto. John Lithgow is one of the very, very few modern performers who is able to draw the essence of W.S. Gilbert's lyrics. To travel to a time where G&S was cutting-edge, read this wonderful portrait of the two performers - both phenomenal characters in their own very different ways: Gilbert the mercurial, subversive master of the absurd; Sullivan the sensitive, working-class genius who often had to overcome serious ill-health to complete his scores.