IF YOU think the current UK political scene is chaotic, try watching Iolanthe, the absurd opera written by Gilbert and Sullivan in 1882.

The so-called “fairy opera” is pitched somewhere between satire and surrealism as the dimwitted House of Lords finds itself at war with a bunch of fairies. The seventh of 14 collaborations between the legendary musical theatre duo, it is often judged to be their best.

As is often the case with great satire, a borderline nonsensical approach helps to reiterate the absurdity of societal constructions. “You can’t get more topical this year than Iolanthe, because it’s basically about the parliamentary system and the disorder that ensues,” says Martin Handley, conductor of a new version of Iolanthe performed by Tarantara Productions.

“When you consider we’re talking about 1882, the dialogue is remarkably fresh and the humour is sharp. The fact that some of the characters are fairies is really by the by – you can make of fairies what you want. It’s just good to have a bit of magic in there.”

There is something of Shakespeare’s comedies in Iolanthe’s madcap plot, which is riddled with confusion and misunderstandings. The Bard’s Comedy of Errors seems the most obvious comparison and Handley says there is an element of Midsummer Night’s Dream in the mix, too.

The topsy-turvy narratives in Gilbert and Sullivan’s considerable catalogue don’t stop there. At various points throughout the 14 comic operas the duo wrote between 1871 and 1896, plots involve flirting being made a capital offence, gondoliers ascending to the monarchy and pirates emerging as noblemen who have gone astray.

Arthur Sullivan was the expressive composer to W S Gilbert’s witty writer. Their dynamic working relationship is all the more remarkable given they had a “healthy dislike” for each other, in Handley’s words. While Sullivan avoided conflict, Gilbert was known to be confrontational from time to time. The pair often clashed over the thematic content of their productions.

“Sullivan thought he should be writing grand operas, really, but whenever he tried to do it the results were pretty bad,” says Handley. “Gilbert had rather more chips on his shoulder. But when they worked together well it was dynamite.” Handley admits that Tarantara Productions doesn’t have much money behind it but says this keeps the crew on their feet in terms of new ideas.

“We have to really think about what would refresh this production – nobody is wandering around with elaborate costumes. We put the orchestra on stage, which works really well as the action goes on around us while I’m frantically gesticulating with my arms.

“The other thing is that we don’t use singers that are specifically Gilbert and Sullivan singers. Those kind of performers can sometimes phone it in because they’ve done it so many times. We try and make it real so that the characters aren’t two-dimensional.”

While not a lifelong fan of Gilbert and Sullivan, Handley is knowledgeable and passionate about their unique brand of theatre and claims that “most musical theatre greats nowadays would admit to being partly influenced” by the duo. The conductor was thrilled to see a group of Bognor schoolchildren revel in performing their own versions of Iolanthe in a scheme created by Tarantara.

“Some of them performed rap adaptations, it was very heartening. They were all excited by it. That’s the thing, though. Gilbert and Sullivan is not dull, it’s incredible entertaining. If it’s dull, we’ve failed Gilbert and Sullivan.”

Iolanthe, Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Saturday, January 21, 2.30pm and 7.30pm, £15, call 01243 781312 or visit www.cft.org.uk