{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O158717"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O158717/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009BY0219/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009BY0219/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2009BY0219","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017JT2892","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O158717","accessionNumber":"S.2051-1995","objectType":"Poster","titles":[{"title":"The Ratepayers' Iolanthe","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"<i>The Ratepayers' Iolanthe</i> was a satirical adaptation by Ned Sherrin and Alistair Beaton of the light opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1984, just a few hundred metres from the Greater London Council offices in County Hall, at a time when Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government had started to argue for the abolition of the GLC. It has been suggested that this decision was in part due to the left-leaning Ken Livingstone-governed council being in direct conflict with the ideologies of Thatcher's government at the time. \r\n\r\nThe poster features caricatures of Thatcher and Livingstone in the tabloid newspaper style, giving some indication of the irreverent nature of the show. The character of Strephon (renamed Red Strephon) was played as Livingstone, with the Queen of the Fairies as Thatcher. Phyllis, with whom Red Strephon is in love, is being wooed by the Chancellor because she is the heiress of the Greater London Estate.\n\nLance Percival was originally cast as the Lord Chancellor, but was not confident with the patter songs and withdrew from the production during rehearsals. He was replaced at short notice by Doug Fisher, whose name appears on a second poster for this production, held by the V&amp;A (S.3256-1994).","physicalDescription":"Poster advertising <i>The Ratepayers' Iolanthe</i>, with black typescript on an orange-red background. Illustrated black and white caricatures of Margaret Thatcher and Ken Livingstone feature on the major part of the poster.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"lithographic ink","id":"AAT187750"}],"techniques":[{"text":"lithography","id":"AAT53271"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Lithograph on paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Advertising","id":"THES49001"},{"text":"Posters","id":"THES252963"},{"text":"Theatre","id":"THES250537"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2009BY0219","2017JT2892"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES345165"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"posters","id":"AAT27221"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1984","earliest":"1984-01-01","latest":"1984-12-31"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"AAT53319"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"75","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"105","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"THE GLC PRESENTS / THE RATEPAYERS' IOLANTHE","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"24TH JULY-11TH AUGUST / DIRECTED BY NED SHERRIN / DESIGNED BY DAPHNE DARE / BASED ON THE OPERETTA BY / GILBERT AND SULLIVAN / ADAPTED BY NED SHERRIN AND / ALISTAIR BEATON / WITH GAYE BROWN / DAVID KERNAN, LANCE PERCIVAL / GAY SOPER, DUDLEY STEVENS","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"Preview performance 24th July / 25th July - 11th August, Evenings at 7.45 pm / Saturday Matinees at 3.00 pm / (No performance on Sunday)\r\n\r\nTickets £3.50, £4.50, £5.50, £6.50 from the Box / Office, The Royal Festival Hall, London  SE1 8XX. / Telephone: 01-928 3191; Credit cards: 01-928 8800. / Booking now open. / Presented by arrangement with Raymond Gubbay Limited.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"GLC QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"THIS STAGE ISN'T / BIG ENOUGH FOR / THE BOTH OF US!","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"IN THAT CASE / I'LL EXIT - LEFT!","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"SUMMER / 1984 / GLC WORKING FOR LONDON","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Poster advertising <i>The Ratepayers' Iolanthe</i>, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's opera, adapted by Ned Sherrin and Alistair Beaton. Presented by the GLC at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank. Pictorial, with a cartoon of Ken Livingstone and Margaret Thatcher","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Mass produced","id":"THES48863"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Thatcher, Margaret","id":"N1961"},{"text":"Livingstone, Ken","id":"N5373"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Poster for The Ratepayers’ Iolanthe\r\n1984\r\n\r\nProtest against Margaret Thatcher’s government during the 1980s can be seen in both comedy and musical theatre. The motivation for The Ratepayers’ Iolanthe, a modern version of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, could be found in the abolition of the Greater London Council. [59 words]\r\n\r\nMusical by Ned Sherrin and Alistair Beaton, adapted from W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, 1984\r\nQueen Elizabeth Hall, London\r\n\r\nLithograph\r\n\r\nMuseum no. S.2051-1995","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["S.2051-1995"],"accessionNumberNum":"2051","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1995,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LN8224","2019LP3374","2019LT6160","2019LV9404"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-18","recordCreationDate":"2008-07-09","availableToBook":true}}