LAST night, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Edinburgh presented the first of two shows that they will stage during this week's annual visit to the King's Theatre, the surreal and very funny political satire Iolanthe.

The convoluted plot sees Iolanthe banished from fairyland. Twenty-five years later, her half-fairy son (from the waist up) Strephon has fallen in love with the beautiful Phyllis, as has the Lord Chancellor and indeed the entire House of Lords.

Strephon appeals to the fairies who hilariously see to it that he's voted into parliament as a genre-busting liberal conservative who becomes leader of both parties. Iolanthe is a great comic opera. Gilbert's libretto was rarely sharper or more satirical and musically Sullivan's orchestration remains a constantly evolving treat.

The large cast of Edinburgh players all do well, though Ian Lawson's glorious Lord Chancellor unquestionably steals the show.