Episode 1 of 4

Contractual Notice

When: 22 March 1884
Where: London
Part of: Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado opens at the Savoy Theatre

Carte required a new opera within six months, triggering the creative process for The Mikado.

On 22 March 1884, Carte gave Gilbert and Sullivan contractual notice that a new opera would be required within six months. This followed the short run of Princess Ida, which had lasted nine months, a short duration by Savoy opera standards.

Sources

The Mikado Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.