You know, the first year at university theater student. I mentioned Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, and this young woman had never heard of it. So when I tried to mention G&S’s other musicals, it came out she’d never heard of G&S either!!!:eek:
How can anyone not know Gilbert and Sullivan, at all? Maybe you haven’t been able to see their work performed but they are/were famous!
What, never?
I was chatting with a 30-ish banker type at my train station, and found he has never heard of Sharon Tate or Florenz Ziegfeld (or his Follies), and did not known what a Munchkin was (the *Oz *type, not the doughnut type).
Admittedly, my pop-culture references can be a bit outre, but I think a basic level of cultural knowledge can be expected . . .
Sounds as though on the subject of G&S, you were alone again, naturally. And, yes, I know G&S are not GOS
I kow who Sharon Tate is and could tell you a lot. I have no idea who Florenz Z is.
I know who G&S are, and I know a very little “I am the very model of a modern major general” from Pirates of Penzance. If you said The Mikado, though, I would not know what you’re talking about.
shrug We don’t all share the same pop culture knowledge. In my case I find it’s always been exacerbated since my parents were first gen immigrants; they learned about pop culture pretty much as I did, so anything before the seventies, they don’t really know about.
I think I had one of those once. It’s like a martini, right?
Wait… what?
Well, hardly ever.
I don’t think anyone should be ashamed of not knowing a particular pop culture or regular culture reference. Yes, there is a certain basic amount of common knowledge that is needed to glue a culture together, but I don’t want some culture Czar somewhere telling me what should make up that glue, or goo.
On the other hand if the folks referenced were biggiesin your field i.e. musical theatre, I think you should know of them. I only know them (G&S, that is) 3rd hand - references in novels & movies (Marjorie Morningstar, Chariots of Fire). never saw a production of their stuff.
Wait she’s a theater student and she’s not heard of Gilbert and Sullivan? That’s sad. I could understand students of other areas of study not knowing them, but I would think anyone with even a remote interested in theater would have at least heard of Gilbert and Sullivan.
I only found out about G&S through a HS friend who was super into them.
Ironically I had seen Pirates of Penzance on broadway as a young teen but had no idea G&S was a “thing.”
I’ve known about* The Mikado* ever since our elementary school music teacher taught us songs from the play–as we were preparing to watch Groucho Marxplay the Lord High Executioner on TV. (Yeah, it’s blurry. But I got to learn “Three Little Maids from School Are We” while I was in school!)
More recently, the creation of The Mikado was the subject of the excellent 1999 movie: Topsy Turvy.
I’m sure the theater student in the OP has an excellent future being the Weather Girl for a small market TV station…
I was a music major in college, but didn’t hear of The Mikado (or any other G&S shows) until I was around 30.
Why are we talking about The Mikado, but quoting from Pinafore? Damme, that’s too bad!
Of course the only drink one should partake in while watching The Mikado is a soiled kimono
Mix 2/3 glass costly French champagne with 1/3 glass Japanese plum wine and top with a paper butterfly.
Just be sure to protect your lungs.
I feel like I’m on trial-la-law.
I’m 30ish and do not know who Sharon Tate or Florenz Ziegfeld are. I’ve heard the phrase “Ziegfeld’s Follies” but have no clue what it refers to.
Sharon Tate - Tate/LaBianca murders. Roman Polanski’s pregnant wife. Helter-Skelter. Charles Manson
Flo Ziegfeld - Early 20th century. Dancing extravaganzas. Vegas showgirls before Vegas.
What do these have to do with G&S again?
Poor use of colored type.
While Tate was the most famous victim of the Manson Family. She may have continued acting in films if she had lived. Flo Ziegfeld on the other hand changed Broadway roughly at the turn of the (20th) century as it had never been changed. The phrase star-studded review was coined to describe his shows. In one evening you could see on his stage; WC Fields, Will Rogers, Eddy (Bojangles) Robinson, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson and what seemed like 100s of scantily-clad beautiful women. All this was done to the music of the Gershwins or Irving Berlin or Cole Porter. That was the Follies.
Will Rogers once said, “Mr. Ziegfeld spends all this money on costumes for these girls. I can’t figure out why he doesn’t let them wear them.”
My grandfather used to say that you wore your hands out clapping for everything.
Well, we’ll just need to find an appropriate punishment…