This 'Patience' is a virtue

"Patience," one of the funniest of Gilbert and Sullivan's 14 operettas, satirizes the flamboyant poets of Oscar Wilde's day. The fun begins when one falls for the innocent milkmaid Patience, riling the 20 spoiled maidens hot for attention.

Our own, 108-year-old Savoy Company - the oldest amateur theater company in the world to offer these classic operettas - has chosen this romp for its current production. Dan Rothermel will conduct the orchestra and cast in a comic gem that overflows with melodies you'll sing on the way home.

Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets, 8 tonight and tomorrow, $10-$35, 215-893-1999; and Longwood Gardens, Route 1, Kennett Square, 8:30 p.m. June 13-14, $25, 215-735-7161, www.savoy.org.

- Tom Di Nardo