After the success of H.M.S. PINAFORE with Arthur Sullivan (and the first operetta done with Richard D'Oyly Carte as the sole producer), William Schwenck Gilbert discussed a serious problem that came to his attention. He, Sullivan, and Carte were financially prospering from the success of PINAFORE, but only from the productions in Great Britain and the continent. There was no copy-write law that existed between the U.S. and Britain in 1879. This problem had bedeviled Charles Dickens, and he railed about American "pirates" for decades. It would not be settled until after the turn of the 20th Century. Until then Americans could steal British books and plays with impunity (similarly British publishers could steal American novels and short stories - not too many plays - without giving any royalties.
Piracy became a central theme of the new operetta, as well as a swipe at the British army (Major General Stanley would be a spoof of the leading British general of the day, Major General Sir Garnet Wolsey), and a spoof about the British police. But Gilbert, with Sullivan's and Carte's agreement, rehearsed two casts and production staffs. One was for the London opening. One was spirited across the Atlantic (with author, composer, and producer in attendance) for the New York City Premier in the same month. You see, by doing it this way, Gilbert and Sullivan were copy-writing their own work in America as well as in Britain. The result was that the "Pirated" versions of the new operetta were breaking the law the moment they tried to put on a show.
While in New York City, Sullivan visited the Bowery (or so they say) and heard a chorus of men singing a tune: "Hail, Hail, the gang's all here!". He liked the tune, and found out that nobody knew who composed it. Subsequently he would use it in the second act for the Pirates of Penzance to sing. The lyrics began with the line in the "Summary" above. It was not the only transposed tune in the new show. The chorus of Major General Stanley's daughters come on stage in act I, where they sing "Climbing over Rocky Mountain." If you hear it, treasure it folks. Except for a tune called "Little Maid of Arcady", it is the only song from Gilbert & Sullivan's lost operetta, THESPIS, to survive (though some of the lyrics were changed).
The plot is simple. Frederick was accidentally apprenticed to the Pirates by his nurse Ruth (who is slightly deaf). He has reached age 21, and is now free to leave or not. He decides to leave, as he opposes piracy, and is determined (much to the sadness of his former comrades, Ruth, and the Pirate King) to destroy them. He joins forces with Major General Stanley ("the model of a modern major general") and his oldest daughter Mabel to aid the Sergeant of Police to capture the wicked pirates. But the Sergeant and his force is quite nervous at the prospect, and secretly sympathize with their foes ("A policeman's lot is not an "appy" one"). Before the trap can be sprung, a technicality about Frederick's age comes up that forces him, always "a slave to duty", to return to the pirates as part of their band. But it is straightened out in the conclusion by a final surprise (Gilbert really knew how to turn on surprises).
I was fortunate to attend the actual production of this musical treat on stage in 1981 with a friend from my Law School. Most of the leads, such as Linda Ronstadt, Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Tony Azito, and the unfortunate George Rose are in their roles here. It was the first of three times that I saw Rose in a Broadway production. The only change in the movie was Estelle Parson's Ruth was replaced by Angela Lansbury. Parson's got more of Ruth's silliness (and sexual hopelessness - she has a crush on Frederic) into her performance. But Lansbury has more fun with the weird business of the plot, in particular when the tables are turned on Frederic.
Kline was in his element, playing the Pirate King as Errol Flynn would. He was quite athletic in the role, but in a comic way (in the film watch what he does with his legs several times). In a 1980 version of the production Kline was able to carry forward a joke dealing with the parentage of the pirates and their would-be victims. The words "often" and "orphan" are confused by Kline and his men, and he needs to keep them straight in conversations. This was put across better in the 1980 television version.
Rose's best number is his patter tune, but he made the most of a second act number about the gentle breeze at night. Tony Azito, who one of my friends knew briefly before his premature death, was terrific as the Sergeant, and it is gratifying to know the performance (which won a "Tony" nomination) was preserved twice. Linda Ronstad sang quite delightfully, especially "Poor Wandering One". All told it was quite a good production and a reasonably entertaining version of it.
Piracy became a central theme of the new operetta, as well as a swipe at the British army (Major General Stanley would be a spoof of the leading British general of the day, Major General Sir Garnet Wolsey), and a spoof about the British police. But Gilbert, with Sullivan's and Carte's agreement, rehearsed two casts and production staffs. One was for the London opening. One was spirited across the Atlantic (with author, composer, and producer in attendance) for the New York City Premier in the same month. You see, by doing it this way, Gilbert and Sullivan were copy-writing their own work in America as well as in Britain. The result was that the "Pirated" versions of the new operetta were breaking the law the moment they tried to put on a show.
While in New York City, Sullivan visited the Bowery (or so they say) and heard a chorus of men singing a tune: "Hail, Hail, the gang's all here!". He liked the tune, and found out that nobody knew who composed it. Subsequently he would use it in the second act for the Pirates of Penzance to sing. The lyrics began with the line in the "Summary" above. It was not the only transposed tune in the new show. The chorus of Major General Stanley's daughters come on stage in act I, where they sing "Climbing over Rocky Mountain." If you hear it, treasure it folks. Except for a tune called "Little Maid of Arcady", it is the only song from Gilbert & Sullivan's lost operetta, THESPIS, to survive (though some of the lyrics were changed).
The plot is simple. Frederick was accidentally apprenticed to the Pirates by his nurse Ruth (who is slightly deaf). He has reached age 21, and is now free to leave or not. He decides to leave, as he opposes piracy, and is determined (much to the sadness of his former comrades, Ruth, and the Pirate King) to destroy them. He joins forces with Major General Stanley ("the model of a modern major general") and his oldest daughter Mabel to aid the Sergeant of Police to capture the wicked pirates. But the Sergeant and his force is quite nervous at the prospect, and secretly sympathize with their foes ("A policeman's lot is not an "appy" one"). Before the trap can be sprung, a technicality about Frederick's age comes up that forces him, always "a slave to duty", to return to the pirates as part of their band. But it is straightened out in the conclusion by a final surprise (Gilbert really knew how to turn on surprises).
I was fortunate to attend the actual production of this musical treat on stage in 1981 with a friend from my Law School. Most of the leads, such as Linda Ronstadt, Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Tony Azito, and the unfortunate George Rose are in their roles here. It was the first of three times that I saw Rose in a Broadway production. The only change in the movie was Estelle Parson's Ruth was replaced by Angela Lansbury. Parson's got more of Ruth's silliness (and sexual hopelessness - she has a crush on Frederic) into her performance. But Lansbury has more fun with the weird business of the plot, in particular when the tables are turned on Frederic.
Kline was in his element, playing the Pirate King as Errol Flynn would. He was quite athletic in the role, but in a comic way (in the film watch what he does with his legs several times). In a 1980 version of the production Kline was able to carry forward a joke dealing with the parentage of the pirates and their would-be victims. The words "often" and "orphan" are confused by Kline and his men, and he needs to keep them straight in conversations. This was put across better in the 1980 television version.
Rose's best number is his patter tune, but he made the most of a second act number about the gentle breeze at night. Tony Azito, who one of my friends knew briefly before his premature death, was terrific as the Sergeant, and it is gratifying to know the performance (which won a "Tony" nomination) was preserved twice. Linda Ronstad sang quite delightfully, especially "Poor Wandering One". All told it was quite a good production and a reasonably entertaining version of it.