The Pirates of Penzance is one of the most frequently played Gilbert and Sullivan operas and was their fifth collaboration, it is a light comedy opera which is split into two separate acts. The show premiered at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York in 1879. It was a huge success immediately. In London on 3rd April 1880, the first British production was presented at the Opera Comique. Since then there have been numerous modernised productions of the play.
The cast includes pretty young maidens, kind hearted pirates and hopeless cops. The unbelievable plot involves a succession of ridiculous 'mistakes' which turn lives totally upside down.
Frederic is the central character of the plot. He is a nice lad and a reluctant apprentice pirate due to a slightly deaf nursemaid Ruth. During his 21st Birthday celebrations, drinking sherry on the shore with the pirates of Penzance, Frederic informs them that he intends to leave them. Ruth, now the pirates maid, explains that as Frederic's former nursemaid, she made a huge error. She misheard Frederic's Father when he told her to apprentice him to a ships pilot due to her partial hearing and instead apprenticed him to a pirate.
Frederic tries to persuade the pirate king and his gang to leave their pirate days behind them and pursue a more upright existence but the pirate king is not interested. Before parting company, Frederic gives the pirates some advice and pointers to help them to be a little more prosperous and avoid getting beaten so regularly. As orphans themselves, the pirates have a weakness for other orphans and tend to release anyone who claims to be one. Frederic points out that this is why most people they capture claims to be an orphan.
Frederic and Ruth leave and Ruth, in determination to marry him, manages to convince Frederic that she is really beautiful. Frederic has no other woman to compare her to and believes she is being honest. Unluckily for Ruth however, some beautiful maidens approach them and Frederic realises he has been lied to. He turns to Ruth and exclaims "You told me you were fair as gold and now I see you're plain and old." In total despair, Ruth departs. When Frederic approaches the maidens to warn them that there are a number of pirates nearby, he immediately falls in love with a girl named Mabel.
Ruth returns with the pirate king and they tell Frederic that he cannot leave. The apprenticeship states that Frederic can only leave once he has reached his 21st birthday, but being born on the 29th of February he only technically has a birthday every leap year. To reach his 21st birthday, Frederic must return to the pirates for another whopping sixty three years! Poor Frederic is devastated by this news but being a lad with a real sense of duty, he agrees that he should go back and his new found love promises she will wait for him!
This Victorian classic is a fantastic introduction to opera and has managed to successfully stand the test of time. It has been popular with audiences for in excess of 130 years.
The cast includes pretty young maidens, kind hearted pirates and hopeless cops. The unbelievable plot involves a succession of ridiculous 'mistakes' which turn lives totally upside down.
Frederic is the central character of the plot. He is a nice lad and a reluctant apprentice pirate due to a slightly deaf nursemaid Ruth. During his 21st Birthday celebrations, drinking sherry on the shore with the pirates of Penzance, Frederic informs them that he intends to leave them. Ruth, now the pirates maid, explains that as Frederic's former nursemaid, she made a huge error. She misheard Frederic's Father when he told her to apprentice him to a ships pilot due to her partial hearing and instead apprenticed him to a pirate.
Frederic tries to persuade the pirate king and his gang to leave their pirate days behind them and pursue a more upright existence but the pirate king is not interested. Before parting company, Frederic gives the pirates some advice and pointers to help them to be a little more prosperous and avoid getting beaten so regularly. As orphans themselves, the pirates have a weakness for other orphans and tend to release anyone who claims to be one. Frederic points out that this is why most people they capture claims to be an orphan.
Frederic and Ruth leave and Ruth, in determination to marry him, manages to convince Frederic that she is really beautiful. Frederic has no other woman to compare her to and believes she is being honest. Unluckily for Ruth however, some beautiful maidens approach them and Frederic realises he has been lied to. He turns to Ruth and exclaims "You told me you were fair as gold and now I see you're plain and old." In total despair, Ruth departs. When Frederic approaches the maidens to warn them that there are a number of pirates nearby, he immediately falls in love with a girl named Mabel.
Ruth returns with the pirate king and they tell Frederic that he cannot leave. The apprenticeship states that Frederic can only leave once he has reached his 21st birthday, but being born on the 29th of February he only technically has a birthday every leap year. To reach his 21st birthday, Frederic must return to the pirates for another whopping sixty three years! Poor Frederic is devastated by this news but being a lad with a real sense of duty, he agrees that he should go back and his new found love promises she will wait for him!
This Victorian classic is a fantastic introduction to opera and has managed to successfully stand the test of time. It has been popular with audiences for in excess of 130 years.
About the Author:
Venton Vean is a newly restored Bed and Breakfast Penzance situated in the Penzance Conservation Area, overlooking Penlee Park and located just minutes' walk from the seafront and town centre. With eclectically furnished bedrooms combining period features with modern art and design, together with a passion for good food, we aim to offer you a unique, comfortable and relaxing stay. Penzance Bed and Breakfast.
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