Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance is a rollicking, delightfully funny tale of a band of soft-hearted pirates. Mistakenly apprenticed to a band of pirates by his nursemaid Ruth, the handsome Frederic is now twenty-one and, though quite fond of the group of joyous and fun-loving pirates, virtuously chooses to abandon his profession. Shortly after leaving them, he encounters a gaggle of beautiful maidens one of whom, Mabel, steals his heart. The whole group has a run-in with the pirates (as well as the girls’ father, the eccentric Major-General), but they are able to escape their clutches on the false premise that the Major-General is an orphan.
Later, Frederic leads a band of cowardly policemen to take out the Pirate King and his men once and for all, but a secret is revealed about Frederic that will change his fate forever.
Coming on the heels of their first international sensation H.M.S. Pinafore, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, or: The Slave of Duty is a delightful farce that is fun for all ages and beloved since its premiere in 1879.