The Pirates of Penzance facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Pirates of Penzance |
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Poster, ca. 1880
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| Written by | W. S. Gilbert (words) Arthur Sullivan (music) |
| Characters | Major-General Stanley Pirate King Frederic Sergeant of Police Mabel Ruth |
| Date of premiere | 31 December 1879 (New York) 3 April 1880 (London) |
| Place of premiere | Fifth Avenue Theatre New York City, New York Opera Comique London, England |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Duty |
| Genre | Operetta |
| Setting | Penzance, Cornwall, England, ca. 1879 |
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a two-act operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the fifth of their fourteen operettas. The London premiere was 3 April 1880 at the Opera Comique. It ran for almost a year, closing on 2 April 1881. It had 363 performances.
American copyright
Gilbert, Sullivan, and their manager Richard D'Oyly Carte arrived in New York in October 1879 to present an authorized version of H.M.S. Pinafore. During this time, Sullivan continued work on the team's next operetta, Pirates, and completed it on 28 December.
In order to secure the American copyright, the operetta premiered in New York City at the Fifth Avenue Theatre on 31 December 1879. Sullivan conducted. The operetta was a great success.
In order to secure the British copyright, the operetta had been performed at the Bijou Theatre in Paignton, Devon, the day before the New York premiere on 30 December. The singers wore their costumes from Pinafore (they were performing this operetta in nearby Torquay) and sang from hand-written sheets of music newly delivered from the United States.
Adaptations
American director and producer Joseph Papp adapted the operetta for summer performances in Central Park, New York City, in 1980. The production was then staged on Broadway and in the West End with great success. In 1983, a movie version of the Papp adaptation was released, starring Angela Lansbury, pop singer Linda Ronstadt, and Kevin Kline.
Roles
- Pirate King (bass-baritone)
- Samuel (baritone), his lieutenant
- Frederic (tenor), a pirate apprentice
- Ruth (contralto), a "piratical maid of all work"
- Sergeant of Police (bass)
- Major-General Stanley (comic baritone)
- Mabel (soprano), Stanley's daughter
- Edith (mezzo-soprano), Stanley's daughter
- Kate (mezzo-soprano), Stanley's daughter
- Isabel (speaking role), Stanley's daughter
- Bradley, Ian. 2001. The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan. Oxford University Press. pp. 189-191.
- Brahms, Caryl. 1975. Gilbert and Sullivan: lost chords and discords. Little, Brown. pp. 88-96.
Images for kids
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Drawing of the Act I finale
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The Pirate Publisher – An International Burlesque that has the Longest Run on Record, from Puck, 1886: Gilbert is seen as one of the British authors whose works are stolen by the pirate publisher.
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Poster for the copyright performance at Paignton
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George Grossmith as General Stanley, wearing Wolseley's trademark moustache
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Marion Hood: "Yes, 'tis Mabel!"
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George Power, the original Frederic in London
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"Have mercy on us!"
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Drawing of Richard Temple as the Pirate King
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Isabel Jay as Mabel
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1880 poster
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1881 programme cover
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Drawing from programme of children's Pirates, 1884
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Opera Australia's 2007 touring production of Pirates, with Anthony Warlow as the Pirate King
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The Major-General carries an encyclopedia in this "Bab" drawing.
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Wallpaper showing characters from Pirates and other Savoy operas
See also
In Spanish: The Pirates of Penzance para niños
