The two shortest initial runs among the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan came with the first and last works on which they collaborated, the present work of 1871, and The Grand Duke of 1896. The two operas also share a plot device: actors and rulers trade places. In the case of Thespis, one may fault the libretto but not the music. This is for a very simple reason: the words remain, but the music, excepting a few fragments, has been lost, presumably forever.

The year 1871 found Sullivan writing the most famous of his numerous hymns, "Onward Christian Soldiers." His reputation as a composer of serious concert music was on the rise, and many in the musical community as the great hope of British music. W. S. Gilbert was also a celebrated artist with a number of dramatic successes to his credit. His Robert le Diable had been the first production at John Hollingshead's Gaiety Theatre, so it was not surprising that the producer would try to get him to collaborate on a new and novel project.

One of the few fragments to survive, "Climbing over Rocky Mountains," was later incorporated into The Pirates of Penzance, and attempts to turn the Thespis libretto into a viable evening in the theatre have been tried. Terrence Rees and Garth Morton made one edition drawing melodies from other Sullivan sources such as the songs. Frank Miller, first cellist with NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini, also wrote a score to Gilbert's words, but neither of these attempts has had much success on stage or on recordings.



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