The Idea

The Prime Minister has had an Idea…

Discover the delight of this little known, theatrical operetta, which is undertaking its UK premiere this year.

The Prime Minister interrupts the wacky court of a rambling king and clown-faced queen to announce his great Idea. The best way forward, he says, is to turn the queen into the monarch. But his radical ideas do not stop there.

This early and tuneful composition by English composer Gustav Holst is an unexpected far throw from his best known orchestral suite, The Planets. Holst’s collaboration with Fritz Hart, his 22-year-old contemporary at The Royal College of Music, fuses a sharp, witty and satirical libretto with Holst’s catchy tunes, inspired by Gilbert and Sullivan, and woven into a joyful new arrangement by Patrick Vincent.

Irrational Theatre specialises in the Best of British opera and plays – librettists, composers and playwrights.

There are only four performances to catch this rare and witty musical discovery.

Press for this production

This is almost as much a discovery as a revival of a little-known collaboration between the 22-year-old Holst and his contemporary at the Royal College of Music, Fritz Hart, author of the piece’s sharp and satirical libretto… Paula Chitty’s direction of this unexpected piece is taut and witty, with John Stivey and Valeria Perboni doing that ongoing English dance of P.M. and H.M. with edge and deftness. ★★★★ London Theatre 1