Something lingering : the enduring influence of Gilbert and Sullivan through the twentieth century -- A thing of shreds and patches : the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 1961-1982 -- Unfriended, unprotected, and alone : the new D'Oyly Carte, 1988-2003 -- Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances : professional productions, 1961-2003 -- Masculine insects with the morals of a Methodist : Gilbert and Sullivan fans -- Amateur tenors sing choruses in public : the world of amateur performance -- In this college, useful knowledge : G & S in schools and universities -- Things are seldom what they seem : parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs -- Maintaining with no little heat their various opinions : G & S scholarship, partisanship and appreciation -- Peep with security into futurity : Buxton it is!

Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich vein of parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs of the songs, as well as their influence on twentieth-century lyricists and composers.