H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass That Loved a Sailor Music by Arthur Sullivan; Book and Lyrics by William Gilbert Premiere: Opera Comique, London, May 25, 1878
Never mind the why and wherefore…just don't miss this season's Pinafore. Gilbert and Sullivan's rollicking romp through naval life, class distinctions, and melodramatic villainy has entertained millions for more than a century and a quarter. It was the 1879 success of this show in New York—and during that year, there were said to be more than 150 productions of the show playing across the United States—that inspired the American musical community to create its own operetta tradition.
Able seaman Ralph Rackstraw is in love with Josephine, the daughter of his Captain Corcoran, who has arranged for her a most advantageous marriage with the exalted Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., First Lord of The Admiralty. Josephine's plan to elope with Ralph is exposed to the Captain by the revengeful seaman Dick Deadeye. In his rage over his daughter's imminent flight, the Captain invokes the D-word and is confined to quarters by the horrified Sir Joseph. Only when the bumboat woman, Little Buttercup, confesses to her inadvertent faux pas when acting as a wet-nurse many years before can Ralph and Josephine be united.
To list the catchy tunes in Pinafore is virtually to cite the entire musical score. "I'm called little Buttercup," "I am the captain of the Pinafore," "When I was a lad," and "Never mind the why and wherefore" are but a sampling of the musical delights that grace this show.
