ABSTRACT
When in an 1876 letter Gilbert complained about delays occasioned by Carte’s inability to secure backing for a new production, the dramatist described circumstances under which he and Sullivan could work with Carte: “If we’re to be businesslike, you must be businesslike too. Give us a fair chance, at a good theatre, and comply with our conditions precedent, and we’ll work like Trojans. But we can’t hold ourselves at your disposal whenever you want us.”1 “Businesslike” for Gilbert denoted promptness, attentiveness, mutual effort, and good will-a giveand-take requiring each partner to invest equally and generously in the enterprise. While in this instance Carte was not able to fund the proposed production, in later years when finances were less precarious, Gilbert had the chance to work with his collaborators on the footing he envisioned in his letter, with each partner exercising his expertise to ensure the success of their joint endeavor.
