H.M.S. Pinafore

H.M.S. Pinafore or, The Lass that Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and was the first big hit by Gilbert and Sullivan. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878 for a run of 571 performances, which was the second longest run of any musical theatre piece up to that time (after the operetta Les Cloches de Corneville). H.M.S. Pinafore was Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth operatic collaboration.

Datei:Circa-1879-D'Oyly-Carte-HMS-Pinafore-from-Library-of-Congress.jpg

A D'Oyly Carte Opera company poster, circa 1879.

Drawing on several of his earlier "Bab Ballad" poems, Gilbert imbued H.M.S. Pinafore with mirth and silliness to spare. The opera's gentle satire reprises and builds on a theme introduced in The Sorcerer – love between members of different social classes. The opera also pokes good-natured fun at the Royal Navy and, in themes to be repeated in the later operas, parliamentary politics and the rise of unqualified people to positions of authority. The title of the work itself is humorous, as it juxtaposes the name of a little girl's garment, pinafore, with the symbol of a naval warship.

The plot revolves around a naval captain's daughter who is in love with a lower-class foremast hand (a common sailor, well below officer rank), even though her father intends her to marry the First Lord of the Admiralty, the cabinet minister in charge of Britain's Royal Navy. As with many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, a surprise disclosure changes matters dramatically near the end of the story.

Pinafore's extraordinary success in Britain, America and elsewhere was followed by the similar success of a series of Gilbert and Sullivan hits that dominated the musical stage on both sides of the Atlantic for more than a decade. The structure and style of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, particularly Pinafore, were much copied and contributed significantly to the development of modern musical theatre.

Background

In 1875, Richard D'Oyly Carte, then the manager of the Royalty Theatre for Selina Dolaro, brought Gilbert and Sullivan together to write a one-act opera, Trial by Jury. This proved a smash hit, and in 1876 Carte assembled a group of financial backers to establish his own Comedy Opera Company, devoted to the production and promotion of English opera. With this theatre company, Carte finally had the financial resources, after many failed attempts, to back another Gilbert and Sullivan opera. This next opera was The Sorcerer, and it proved a success, running for 178 performances. With this new company, also, Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte were able to choose their own cast of performers, rather than being obligated to use the actors already engaged at the theatre in which they produced their opera, which was the usual system in Victorian theatres. They chose talented actors, most of whom were not well-known stars, and so did not command high fees, and whom they felt they could mould to their own style. Then, they tailored their work to the particular abilities of these performers.

Genesis of H.M.S. Pinafore

The success of The Sorcerer made another collaboration by Gilbert and Sullivan inevitable. Carte agreed on terms for a new opera with his Comedy Opera Company financial backers, and Gilbert began work on a new opera, H.M.S. Pinafore, before the end of 1877, sending Sullivan a plot sketch on December 27. Gilbert's draft reached Sullivan while he was on holiday on the Riviera, accompanied by the following note from Gilbert: Gilbert drew on several of his earlier "Bab Ballad" poems, including "Captain Reece" (1868) and "The Bumboat Woman's Story" (1870).Vorlage:Fact

1878 illustration

Despite Gilbert's disclaimer, everyone identified W. H. Smith with Sir Joseph Porter, but in general, Gilbert's intentions in this early sketch were turned into reality.

Following the example of his mentor, T. W. Robertson, Gilbert strove to ensure that the costumes and sets were made as realistic as possible. This attention to detail was typical of Gilbert's stage management and would be repeated in all of the Savoy Operas. When preparing the sets for H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), Gilbert and Sullivan visited Portsmouth in April 1878 to inspect ships. Gilbert made sketches of H.M.S. Victory and H.M.S. St Vincent and created a model set for the carpenters to work from. This was far from standard procedure in Victorian drama, where naturalism was still a relatively new concept, and where most authors had very little influence on how their plays and libretti were staged. During the composition of the bright and cheerful music of Pinafore, Sullivan suffered excruciating pain from a kidney stone.

Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte used most of the same principal cast members that they had used in The Sorcerer. Mrs. Howard Paul, who had played Lady Sangazure in The Sorcerer, however, was declining vocally, and by mid-May 1878, both Gilbert and Sullivan wanted her out of the cast. With only a week to go before opening night, Carte hired concert singer Jessie Bond to play the role of Cousin Hebe. Since Bond had little experience as an actress, however, Gilbert and Sullivan cut out most of the dialogue from the role and turned some of it into recitative. As was to be his usual practise, Sullivan left the overture for last, sketching it out and leaving it to the company's music director, Alfred Cellier, to complete.

Production

Pinafore opened on 25 May 1878 at the Opera Comique, before an enthusiastic audience. Soon, however, the piece suffered from weak ticket sales, generally ascribed to a heat wave that summer, although historian Michael Ainger notes that the heat waves were of short durations. Biographer Arthur Jacobs comments that the "grudging welcome" by the press for Pinafore could not have helped. Richard D'Oyly Carte's four producing partners of The Comedy Opera Company lost confidence in the opera's viability and posted closing notices.Vorlage:Fact In August, Sullivan used some of the Pinafore music, arranged by his assistant Hamilton Clarke, during several successful Promenade Concerts at Covent Garden, and by September, Pinafore was playing to full houses at the theatre and touring the provinces with success. Carte persuaded the author and composer that a business partnership among the three of them would be profitable. The Opera Comique was required to close at Christmas 1878 for repairs to drainage and sewage under the Public Health Act of 1875. Carte used the enforced closure of the theatre to evoke a contract clause reverting the rights of Pinafore and Sorcerer to Gilbert and Sullivan, who entrusted them to him, and to take a six-month personal lease on the theatre beginning on 1 February.

Cast of a (probably unlicensed) American production of H.M.S. Pinafore starring children

1880 programme for Carte's children's Pinafore

Meanwhile, numerous pirated versions of Pinafore began to be played in America with great success. Pinafore became a source of popular quotations, such as the exchange:

"What, never?"

"No, never!"

"What, never?"

"Well, hardly ever!"

In February 1879, Pinafore resumed profitable operations at the Opera Comique, and touring resumed in April, with two touring companies crisscrossing the provinces by June (one starring Richard Mansfield and the other W. S. Penley as Sir Joseph). Carte left for America to make arrangements for a New York theatre and tours for Pinafore, Sorcerer and the next opera in America.

Sullivan, as had been arranged with Carte and Gilbert, gave notice to the partners of the Comedy Opera Company in early July 1879 that he, Gilbert and Carte would not be renewing the contract to produce Pinafore with them. The disgruntled partners in return gave notice that they intended to play Pinafore at another theatre and brought a legal action against Carte and company. They offered the London and touring casts of Pinafore more money to play in their production. They engaged the Imperial Theatre but had no scenery. On 31 July, they sent a group of thugs to seize the scenery during the evening performance at the Opera Comique. Stagehands successfully managed to ward off their backstage attackers and protect the scenery. Gilbert sued to stop the former partners from staging their rival production of H.M.S.Pinafore. The court permitted the production to go on, but it was not as popular as the D'Oyly Carte production and was withdrawn in October. The matter was settled in court, where a judge ruled in Carte's favour about two years later.

Some of the most popular songs from the opera include "I'm called Little Buttercup", the solo introducing the round, rosy, but mysterious bumboat woman, "A British tar" (a glee for three men describing the ideal sailor, composed by Sir Joseph "to encourage independent thought and action in the lower branches of the service, and to teach the principle that a British sailor is any man's equal, excepting mine"); "Never mind the why and wherefore" (a trio for the Captain, Josephine, and Sir Joseph); and Sir Joseph's patter song "When I was a lad" (like the judge's song in Trial by Jury, a satire on the meteoric career of an incompetent man to high office – in this case, the story bears similarities to the career of William Henry Smith, the newsagent who had risen to the position of First Lord of the Admiralty in 1877).

On 20 February 1880, Pinafore completed its initial run of 571 performances. Only one other work of musical theatre in the world had ever run longer, Robert Planquette's operetta Les Cloches de Corneville). Pinafore remains one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular works, perhaps because of its infectious tunes and generally well-constructed libretto.Vorlage:Fact

Bringing Pinafore to the U.S.

Over a hundred unauthorised productions Pinafore sprang up in the United States. In New York, the piece was playing in eight theatres within five blocks of each other. These pirated versions took many forms, including burlesque versions, all-negro versions, all-Catholic versions, performances on boats and productions starring a cast of children. Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte brought law suits in the U.S. and tried for many years to control the American performance copyrights over their operas, or at least to claim some royalties, without success. They made a special effort to claim American rights for their next work after Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, by giving the official premiere in New York at the Fifth Avenue Theatre under the management of John T. Ford.

Carte had travelled to New York in the summer of 1879 and made arrangements with Ford to open at the Fifth Avenue Theatre with the first authorized American production of Pinafore on 1 December, to be followed by the premiere of Pirates on 31 December and two American touring companies. In November, he returned with a company of strong singers, including J. H. Ryley as Sir Joseph, Blanche Roosevelt as Josephine, Alice Barnett as little Buttercup, Furneaux Cook as Dick Deadeye, Hugh Talbot as Ralph Rackstraw and Jessie Bond as Cousin Hebe. To these, he added some American singers, including Signor Brocolini as Captain Corcoran. After Pinafore ran through December, Pirates played at the Fifth Avenue Theatre through February to strong houses. Carte then sent three touring companies around the U.S. East Coast and Midwest, playing The Sorcerer, Pinafore and Pirates.

Children's productions

The pirated juvenile productions of Pinafore were so popular that Carte mounted his own children's version, played at matinees. The piece earned an enthusiastic review from critic Clement Scott. However, Captain Corcoran's curse "Damme!" was uncensored, shocking such prominent audience members as Lewis Carroll, who wrote: "...a bevy of sweet innocent-looking girls sing, with bright and happy looks, the chorus 'He said, Damn me! He said, Damn me!' I cannot find words to convey to the reader the pain I felt in seeing these dear children taught to utter such words to amuse ears grown callous to their ghastly meaning. Put the two ideas side by side – Hell (no matter whether you believe in it or not; millions do) and those pure young lips thus sporting with its horrors – and then find what fun in it you can! How Mr. Gilbert could have stooped to write, or Arthur Sullivan could have prostituted his noble art to set to music, such vile trash, it passes my skill to understand".

Critical reception

The early reviews were generally warm. The Era wrote:

"Seldom indeed have we been in the company of a more joyous audience... than that which filled the Opera Comique in every corner last Saturday. [Gilbert and Sullivan] have on previous occasions been productive of such legitimate amusement, such novel forms of drollery, such original wit, and unexpected whimsicality, that nothing was more natural than for the audience to anticipate an evening of thorough enjoyment. The expectation was fulfilled completely. Those who believed in the power of Mr Gilbert to tickle the fancy with quaint suggestions and unexpected forms of humour were more than satisfied, and those who appreciate Mr Arthur Sullivan's inexhaustible gift of melody were equally gratified; while that large class of playgoers who are pleased with brilliant dresses and charming stage effects declared themselves delighted. The result, therefore, was "a hit, a palpable hit" – a success, in fact, there could be no mistaking, and which, great as it was last Saturday, will be even more decided when the work has been played a few nights, as there were some slight drawbacks for which nobody was to blame; such, for example, as the severe cold that affected Mr. Rutland Barrington, and almost prevented his singing. The greatest credit was due to him for struggling as he did against adverse circumstances, and we may compliment him sincerely upon the ability and moral courage which enabled him to triumph over physical weakness."

The Entr'acte and Limelight commented,

"...It is the same kind of thing that has been done in Trial by Jury and Sorcerer, but still it is very amusing, while much of the music is very charming. To hear so-called grand opera imitated through the medium of the most trifling lyrics, is funny.... [T]hose who can appreciate that subtle satire which is to be found, both in the libretto and the music of this comicality, will not accuse the management of impudence for making this the sum total of the bill. ...Mr. George Grossmith, junr., plays excellently and consistently. He makes up after the authenticated portraits of the great Nelson, and his good introductory song seems levelled at the gentleman who is responsible for the present efficiency of the navy. ["For He Is an Englishman" is] an excellent satire on the proposition that a man must necessarilty virtuous to be English.... [T]he piece, as a whole, is very well done, and will, doubtless, remain in the bills for some considerable time."

Similarly, The Illustrated London News noted, "The promised new work... was produced, with much success.... The plot is merely a slight sketch, which serves, however, as a vehicle for that caustic humour and quaint satire in which Mr. Gilbert is such a proficient.... There is... much to call forth hearty laughter in the occasional satirical hits.... Dr. Sullivan's music is as lively as the text to which it is set, with here and there a touch of sentimental expression.... The piece is well performed throughout." The Musical Times enjoyed the piece but criticised its artistic value:

"[T]his firmly cemented union between author and composer is detrimental to the art-progress of either; however, they may succeed in satisfying the temporary taste of an Opéra-Comique audience. Offenbach has shown us how merely lively and pleasing tunes can attract the general public; but Auber has proved that something higher is demanded for what is understood as "comic opera;" and that Mr. Sullivan has in him the true elements of an artist, which would be successfully developed were a carefully framed libretto presented to him for composition, can scarcely be doubted. Having thus conscientiously discharged our duties as art-critics, let us at once proceed to say that H.M.S. Pinafore is an amusing piece of extravagance, and that the music floats it on merrily to the end. The story... lends itself very well to the musical treatment it has received".

Upon the publication of the vocal score, a review by The Academy exemplified a long series of lamentations by critics that would hound Sullivan throughout the rest of his career: "[I]t must be considered a matter for regret that one of our foremost English musicians should have subsided into a maker of tunes for burlesques. Better work than this is looked for from the composer of The Tempest music; and we cannot but hope that Mr. Sullivan, as soon as his health shall happily permit, will address himself to something more worthy of his great ability."

When Pinafore was first revived in London in 1887, it was already treated as a classic. The Illustrated London News wrote: "Some regret has been expressed that the opera has not been edited and revised up to date, with new dialogue, fresh chaff, and additional songs. But, in that case, it would not have been a revival of the Pinafore, and what would the public have done without the time-honoured jokes, such as "Hardly Ever." The Savoy has once more got a brilliant success." The Theatre concurred: "On the merits of an opera that... has been heard in almost every part of this habitable globe and been enjoyed everywhere, there is not much occasion to descant. I shall therefore only say that the revival... at the Savoy, was a most brilliant success and is likely to prove a continued attraction".

Roles

• The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, First Lord of the Admiralty (comic baritone)
• Captain Corcoran, Commander of H.M.S. Pinafore (lyric baritone)
• Ralph Rackstraw, Able Seaman (tenor)
• Dick Deadeye, Able Seaman (bass-baritone)
• Bill Bobstay, Boatswain's Mate (first mate) (baritone)
• Bob Becket, Carpenter's Mate (bass)
• Josephine, The Captain's Daughter (soprano)
• Cousin Hebe, Sir Joseph's First Cousin (mezzo-soprano)
• Mrs. Cripps (Little Buttercup), A Portsmouth Bumboat Woman (contralto)
• Chorus of First Lord's Sisters, His Cousins, His Aunts, Sailors, Marines, etc.

Synopsis

Act I

The British warship H.M.S. Pinafore is in port at Portsmouth. It is noontime, and the sailors are on the quarterdeck, "cleaning brasswork, splicing rope, etc."

Poster from a (probably unauthorised) early American production

Little Buttercup, a Portsmouth "bumboat woman" (dockside vendor) — who is the "rosiest, roundest, and reddest beauty in all Spithead" — comes on board to sell her wares. She hints that she may be hiding a dark secret under her "gay and frivolous exterior". The Boatswain demurs that he's never thought about that, but the grim and ugly realist, Dick Deadeye, says he's "thought it, often". Ralph Rackstraw, "the smartest lad in all the fleet," enters, declaring his love for the Captain's daughter, Josephine. His fellow sailors (excepting Dick) offer their sympathies, but can give Ralph little hope that his love will ever be returned.

The Captain greets his crew and compliments them on their politeness, saying that he returns the compliment by never ("well, hardly ever") using bad language, such as "a big, big D." After the sailors have left, the Captain complains to Little Buttercup that Josephine has not taken kindly to a marriage proposal from Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Buttercup says that she knows how it feels to love in vain. As she leaves, the Captain remarks that she is "a plump and pleasing person." Josephine enters and confesses to her father that she loves a common sailor, but she is a dutiful daughter and will marry Sir Joseph as her father wishes.

Punch cartoon from 1878, satirising First Lord of the Admiralty W. H. Smith. In Pinafore, Sir Joseph sings: "When the breezes blow / I generally go below".

Sir Joseph comes on board, accompanied by his sisters, cousins, and aunts. After telling everyone how he came to be "ruler of the Queen's Navee," he delivers a lesson in etiquette. He tells the Captain that he must always say "if you please" after an order; for, as he says, "A British sailor is any man's equal" – excepting his. Sir Joseph has composed a song to illustrate that point, and he gives a copy of it to Ralph.

Elated by Sir Joseph's views on equality, Ralph decides that he will confess his love to Josephine to the delight of his shipmates, except Dick, who explains that equality is incompatible with the giving and obeying of orders. In horror at his words, the sailors force Dick to listen to Sir Joseph's song before all exit, leaving Ralph alone. Josephine now enters, and Ralph confesses his love. Although she finds Sir Joseph's attentions nauseating, she knows she is obligated to marry him. Keeping her feelings to herself, she haughtily rejects Ralph's advances.

Ralph summons his shipmates, and tells them he is bent on suicide. He puts a pistol to his head, but as he is about to pull the trigger, Josephine enters, proclaiming she loves him after all. Ralph and Josephine plan to sneak ashore to get married that night. Dick Deadeye warns them that their actions will lead to trouble, but he is ignored by the joyous ensemble.

Act II

Later that night, under a full moon, Captain Corcoran confesses his concerns: all his friends are deserting him, and Sir Joseph has threatened a court-martial. Little Buttercup offers sympathy. He tells her that, if it were not for the difference in their social standing, he would have returned her affections. She prophesies that things are not all as they seem, and that a change is in store, but he does not understand her.

Illustration by D. H. Friston, 1878

Sir Joseph enters, and complains that Josephine has not yet agreed to marry him. The Captain speculates that she is probably dazzled by his superior rank, and that if he can persuade her that "love levels all ranks," she will accept his proposal. When Sir Joseph makes this argument, a delighted Josephine says that she is convinced. The Captain and Sir Joseph rejoice, but Josephine, in an aside, admits that she is now more determined than ever to marry Ralph.

Dick Deadeye intercepts the Captain, and tells him of the lovers' plans to elope. The Captain confronts Ralph and Josephine as they try to leave the ship. The pair declare their love, adding that "I am (He is) an Englishman!" The furious Captain is unmoved, and says, "Why, damme, it's too bad!" Sir Joseph and his relatives, who have overheard, are shocked to hear swearing on board a ship, and Sir Joseph orders the Captain to his cabin.

When Sir Joseph asks what had provoked this outburst, Ralph replies that it was his declaration of love for Josephine. Furious in his turn at this revelation, Sir Joseph has Ralph put in chains and taken to the ship's dungeon. Little Buttercup now reveals her secret. Years before, when she was a nursemaid, she had cared for two babies, one "of low condition," the other "a regular patrician." She confesses that she "mixed those children up and not a creature knew it.... The wellborn babe was Ralph; your Captain was the other."

Sir Joseph now realizes that Ralph should have been the Captain, and the Captain should have been Ralph. He summons both, and they emerge wearing one another's uniforms: Ralph is now middle-class, and in command of the Pinafore, while the former Captain is now a common sailor. Sir Joseph's marriage with Josephine is now impossible. As he explains it, "love levels all ranks... to a considerable extent, but it does not level them as much as that." He gives her to now-Captain Rackstraw. The former Captain, with his rank reduced, is free to marry Buttercup. Sir Joseph settles for his cousin Hebe, and all ends in general rejoicing.

Musical numbers

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Gilbert's Illustration to "A British tar" (1906)

Ruth Vincent as Josephine in 1899

Rutland Barrington as Captain Corcoran in the first London revival, 1887

• Overture

Act I

• 1. "We sail the ocean blue" (Sailors)
• 2. "Hail! men-o'-war's men" ... "I'm called Little Buttercup" (Buttercup)
• 2a. "But tell me who's the youth" (Buttercup and Boatswain)
• 3. "The nightingale" (Ralph and Chorus of Sailors)
• 3a. "A maiden fair to see" (Ralph and Chorus of Sailors)
• 4. "My gallant crew, good morning" (Captain Corcoran and Chorus of Sailors)
• 4a. "Sir, you are sad" (Buttercup and Captain Corcoran)
• 5. "Sorry her lot who loves too well" (Josephine)
• 5a. Cut song: "Reflect, my child" (Captain Corcoran and Josephine)
• 6. "Over the bright blue sea" (Chorus of Female Relatives)
• 7. "Sir Joseph's barge is seen" (Chorus of Sailors and Female Relatives)
• 8. "Now give three cheers" (Captain Corcoran, Sir Joseph, Cousin Hebe, and Chorus)
• 9. "When I was a lad" (Sir Joseph and Chorus)
• 9a. "For I hold that on the sea" (Sir Joseph, Cousin Hebe, and Chorus)
• 10. "A British tar" (Ralph, Boatswain, Carpenter's Mate, and Chorus of Sailors)
• 11. "Refrain, audacious tar" (Josephine and Ralph)
• 12. Finale, Act I: "Can I survive this overbearing?"

Act II

(Entr'acte)

• 13. "Fair moon, to thee I sing" (Captain Corcoran)
• 14. "Things are seldom what they seem" (Buttercup and Captain Corcoran)
• 15. "The hours creep on apace" (Josephine)
• 16. "Never mind the why and wherefore" (Josephine, Captain, and Sir Joseph)
• 17. "Kind Captain, I've important information" (Captain and Dick Deadeye)
• 18. "Carefully on tiptoe stealing" (Soli and Chorus)
• 18a."Pretty daughter of mine" (Captain and Ensemble) and "He is an Englishman" (Boatswain and Ensemble)
• 19. "Farewell, my own" (Ralph, Josephine, Sir Joseph Porter, Buttercup, and Chorus)
• 20. "A many years ago" (Buttercup and Chorus)
• 20a. "Here, take her, sir" (Sir Joseph, Josephine, Ralph, Cousin Hebe, and Chorus)¹
• 21. Finale: "Oh joy, oh rapture unforeseen" (Ensemble) ²

¹See discussion, below.

²Includes reprises of several songs, concluding with "For he is an Englishman".

Versions and cut material

Ballad for Captain Corcoran, "Reflect, my child"

During rehearsals for the original production, Gilbert added a ballad for Captain Corcoran in which he urged his daughter to forget the common sailor she is in love with, who "at every step...would commit solecisms that society would never pardon." The ballad was meant to be sung between No. 5 and No. 6 of the current score, but was cut before opening night. The words survive in the libretto that was deposited with the Lord Chamberlain for licensing. Before 1999, all that was known to survive of Sullivan's setting was a copy of the leader violin part.

In April 1999, Sullivan scholars Bruce I. Miller and Helga J. Perry announced that they had discovered a nearly complete orchestration – lacking only the second violin part – in a private collection of early band parts. These materials, with a conjectural reconstruction of the lost vocal lines and second violin part, were later published and professionally recorded. This piece has now been performed a number of times by amateur and professional companies, although it has not become a standard addition to the traditional scores.

Dialogue for Cousin Hebe

In the licensing copy of the libretto, Sir Joseph's cousin Hebe had lines of dialogue in several scenes in Act II. In the scene that follows No. 14 ("Things are seldom what they seem"), she accompanied Sir Joseph onstage and echoed the First Lord's dissatisfaction with Josephine. After several interruptions, Sir Joseph urged her to be quiet, eliciting the response "Crushed again!" Gilbert would later re-use this passage for Lady Jane in Patience. Hebe was also assigned several lines of dialogue after No. 18 ("Carefully on tiptoe stealing"), and again after No. 19 ("Farewell, my own.")

Original programme cover

Late in rehearsals for the original production, Jessie Bond assumed the role of Hebe, replacing Mrs. Howard Paul. Bond, who at this point in her career was known primarily as a concert singer and had no experience as an actress, did not feel capable of performing dialogue, and these passages were revised to cut Hebe's dialogue. Hebe's dialogue is occasionally restored in modern performances, particularly her lines in the scene following No. 14.

Recitative preceding the Act II finale

The dialogue preceding the Act II finale, starting with "Here, take her sir, and mind you treat her kindly," was originally recitative. The music for this passage was printed in the first edition of the vocal score as No. 20a. Shortly after opening night, the recitative was dropped, and the lines thereafter were performed as spoken dialogue. The recitative is rarely performed.

Productions

From the beginning, H.M.S. Pinafore has been one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular comic operas. Its initial run of 571 performances only begins to explain its popularity. After its initial success in London became clear, Richard D'Oyly Carte dispatched touring companies into the British provinces. There was a company playing Pinafore under his aegis close to continuously between 1878 and 1888. The opera was then given a rest, returning to the touring repertory again between 1894–1900, and then most of the time between 1903–1940.

In the winter of 1940–41, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company scenery and costumes for Pinafore and three other operas were destroyed in enemy action. The opera spent seven years out of the repertory before a London revival in the summer of 1947. It was then included in the D'Oyly Carte repertory in every season from then on, until the company's closure in 1982. The D'Oyly Carte company performed Pinafore before Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family at Windsor Castle on 16 June 1977 (the first royal command performance there since 1891).

In America, Pinafore was an instant success. The first American production was given at the Boston Museum on 25 November 1878. According to Reginald Allen, some 150 companies played the opera (all without royalties to the authors) before Gilbert, Sullivan, and D'Oyly Carte arrived to present the "authorised" version, which opened in New York on 1 December 1879. In Australia, its first authorized performance was on 15 November 1879 at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, produced by the J. C. Williamson company.

The following table shows the history of the D'Oyly Carte productions in Gilbert's lifetime:

Theatre	Opening Date	Closing Date	Perfs.	Details
Opera Comique	25 May 1878	24 December 1878	571	Original run in London. (The theatre was closed between 25 December 1878 and 31 January 1879.)
	31 January 1879	20 February 1880
Crystal Palace	6 July 1878	6 July 1878	1	Special performance at the Crystal Palace, conducted by Eugène Goossens.
Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York	1 December 1879	27 December 1879	28	Official American premiere in New York, prior to the opening of The Pirates of Penzance
Imperial (Royal Aquarium) Theatre	1 August 1879	c. 1 September 1879	91	A pirate production set up by the disgruntled directors of the Comedy-Opera Company after they failed to seize the scenery during the 31 July 1879 performance at the Opera Comique.
Royal Olympic Theatre	8 September 1879	25 October 1879
Opera Comique	16 December 1879	20 March 1880	78	Company of juvenile performers, matinees only. (This company went on a provincial tour between 2 August and 11 December 1880.)
Opera Comique	22 December 1880	28 January 1881	28
Savoy Theatre	12 November 1887	10 March 1888	120	First London revival.
Savoy Theatre	6 June 1899	25 November 1899	174	Second London revival. Played with Trial by Jury as a forepiece.
Savoy Theatre	14 July 1908	27 March 1909	61	Second Savoy repertory season; played with five other operas. (Closing date shown is of the entire season.)

Historical casting

The following tables show the casts of the principal original productions and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company touring repertory at various times through to the company's 1982 closure:

Role	Opera Comique 1878	New York 1879	Savoy Theatre 1887	Savoy Theatre 1899	Savoy Theatre 1908
Sir Joseph	George Grossmith	J. H. Ryley	George Grossmith	Walter Passmore	Charles H. Workman
Captain Corcoran	Rutland Barrington	Sgr. Brocolini	Rutland Barrington	Henry Lytton	Rutland Barrington
Ralph Rackstraw	George Power	Hugh Talbot	J. G. Robertson	Robert Evett	Henry Herbert
Dick Deadeye	Richard Temple	J. Furneaux Cook	Richard Temple	Richard Temple	Henry Lytton
Boatswain/ Bill Bobstay	Fred Clifton	Fred Clifton	Richard Cummings	W. H. Leon	Leicester Tunks
Carpenter/ Bob Beckett	Mr. Dymott	Mr. Cuthbert	Rudolph Lewis	Powis Pinder	Fred Hewett
Midshipmite/ Tom Tucker	Master Fitzaltamont1
Josephine	Emma Howson	Blanche Roosevelt	Geraldine Ulmar	Ruth Vincent	Elsie Spain
Hebe	Jessie Bond	Jessie Bond	Jessie Bond	Emmie Owen	Jessie Rose
Buttercup	Harriett Everard	Alice Barnett	Rosina Brandram	Rosina Brandram	Louie Rene

Role	D'Oyly Carte 1915 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1925 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1935 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1950 Tour
Sir Joseph	Henry Lytton	Henry Lytton	Martyn Green	Martyn Green
Captain Corcoran	Leicester Tunks	Leo Sheffield	Leslie Rands	Richard Watson
Ralph Rackstraw	Walter Glynne	Charles Goulding	John Dean	Herbert Newby
Dick Deadeye	Leo Sheffield	Darrell Fancourt	Darrell Fancourt	Darrell Fancourt
Boatswain	Frederick Hobbs	Henry Millidge	Richard Walker	Stanley Youngman
Carpenter	George Sinclair	Patrick Colbert	L. Radley Flynn	L. Radley Flynn
Josephine	Phyllis Smith	Elsie Griffin	Ann Drummond-Grant	Muriel Harding
Hebe	Nellie Briercliffe	Aileen Davies	Marjorie Eyre	Joan Gillingham
Buttercup	Bertha Lewis	Bertha Lewis	Dorothy Gill	Ella Halman

Role	D'Oyly Carte 1958 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1965 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1975 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1982 Tour
Sir Joseph	Peter Pratt	John Reed	John Reed	James Conroy-Ward
Captain Corcoran	Jeffrey Skitch	Alan Styler	Michael Rayner	Clive Harre
Ralph Rackstraw	Thomas Round	David Palmer	Meston Reid	Meston Reid
Dick Deadeye	Donald Adams	Donald Adams	John Ayldon	John Ayldon
Boatswain	George Cook	George Cook	Jon Ellison	Michael Buchan
Carpenter	Jack Habbick	Anthony Raffell	John Broad	Michael Lessiter
Josephine	Jean Hindmarsh	Ann Hood	Pamela Field	Vivian Tierney
Hebe	Joyce Wright	Pauline Wales	Patricia Leonard	Roberta Morrell
Buttercup	Ann Drummond-Grant	Christene Palmer	Lyndsie Holland	Patricia Leonard

¹ The Midshipmite, Tom Tucker, is traditionally played by a child. "Fitzaltamont" was likely a pseudonym used to protect the child's identity, as the same name appears on programmes of several provincial touring companies. No names are listed for his role in later productions.

Recordings

An early poster for a D'Oyly Carte production

Rutland Barrington as A.B.S. Corcoran at the end of Pinafore

The 1930 recording is notable for preserving the performances of the best D'Oyly Carte Opera Company stars of the era. Of the post-war D'Oyly Carte the 1960, which contains all the dialogue, is most admired. The New D'Oyly Carte recording also contains complete dialogue and the "lost" ballad for Captain Corcoran, "Reflect, my child," as a bonus track. The Mackerras recording, featuring opera singers in the roles, is musically well-regarded. on one CD, is particularly compelling.

On video, the 1973 D'Oyly Carte preserves the company's traditional style of the period, but some people find it dull. The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival offers various video recordings of the opera, including its 2003 professional G&S Opera Company video.

Selected recordings

• 1922 D'Oyly Carte – Conductors: Harry Norris and G. W. Byng
• 1930 D'Oyly Carte – London Symphony Orchestra; Conductor: Malcolm Sargent
• 1949 D'Oyly Carte – Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
• 1958 Sargent/Glyndebourne – Pro Arte Orchestra, Glyndebourne Festival Chorus; Conductor: Sir Malcolm Sargent
• 1960 D'Oyly Carte (with dialogue) – New Symphony Orchestra of London; Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
• 1972 G&S For All – G&S Festival Chorus & Orchestra; Conductor: Peter Murray
• 1973 D'Oyly Carte (video) – Conductor: Royston Nash
• 1981 Stratford Festival (video) – Conductor: Berthold Carrière; Director: Leon Major
• 1987 New Sadler's Wells Opera – Conductor: Simon Phipps
• 1994 Mackerras/Telarc – Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh National Opera; Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
• 1997 Essgee Entertainment (video; adapted) – Conductor: Kevin Hocking
• 2000 New D'Oyly Carte (with dialogue) – Conductor: John Owen Edwards

Adaptations

• George S. Kaufman wrote a Broadway musical in 1945 called Hollywood Pinafore based on H.M.S. Pinafore and using Sullivan's music.
• Essgee Entertainment produced an adapted version of H.M.S. Pinafore in 1997 in Australia and New Zealand.
• Pinafore Swing, first performed at the Watermill Theatre in England in 2004, with music arranged by Sarah Travis and directed by John Doyle (the team responsible for the actor-orchestra staging of the 2006 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd). The adaptation assigns all the musical parts to a reduced-size acting cast, who also serve as the orchestra, playing the musical instruments, and the music is infused with swing rhythms.

Cultural impact

Pinafore had a profound influence on the development of musical theatre through the 20th century. According to critic Andrew Lamb, "The success of H.M.S. Pinafore in 1879 established British comic opera alongside French opera bouffe throughout the English-speaking world. Over the next twenty years successful British comic operas continued to cross the Atlantic almost as a matter of course." Theatre historian John Kenrick comments that Pinafore "became an international sensation, reshaping the commercial theater in both England and the United States." Pinafore's popularity also led to musical theatre adaptations of the piece itself, including George S. Kaufman's 1945 Broadway musical Hollywood Pinafore and Pinafore Swing, a 2004 British swing adaptation with a score arranged by Sarah Travis in which the actors serve as the orchestra, playing the musical instruments. Several other musicals parody or pastiche Pinafore.

In addition, songs from Pinafore have been widely parodied or pastiched in films, on television and in a variety of other media. For example, in a 1963 comedy album, Allan Sherman parodied "When I was a lad," from the point of view of a young man going to an Ivy League school and then rising to prominence in an advertising agency. At the end he thanks old Yale, he thanks the Lord, and he thanks his father "who is chairman of the board". On his next album, Sherman sang "Little Butterball" to the tune of "I'm Called Little Buttercup". Literary references to Pinafore songs include those in "Runaround", a story in I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, where a robot sings part of "I'm Called Little Buttercup". Pinafore songs and images have also been used in advertising. For example, Pinafore themed trading cards were created.

Film references

Particularly notable examples of the use of songs from Pinafore in films include The Good Shepherd (2006), which depicts an all-male version of Pinafore at Yale University. The Matt Damon character plays Little Buttercup, singing falsetto. In the 1981 British historical film Chariots of Fire, the protagonist, Harold Abrahams, and others from Cambridge University, sing "For he is an Englishman". This song also features at the end of the 1983 BBC film An Englishman Abroad. In the 2003 movie Peter Pan, the Darling family sings "When I Was A Lad". Characters also sing various songs from Pinafore in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), Captain Picard and Lt. Commander Worf sing part of "A British Tar" to distract a malfunctioning Lt. Commander Data. The soundtrack of the 1992 thriller The Hand that Rocks the Cradle prominently features songs from Pinafore. There was also a 1976 film called Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done. In the 1988 drama Permanent Record, a high school class performs Pinafore. Judy Garland sings "I am the monarch of the sea" in the film, I Could Go On Singing.

Television references

Among notable examples of songs from Pinafore used in television shows is the "Cape Feare" episode of The Simpsons, Bart stalls his would-be killer Sideshow Bob with a "final request" that Bob sing him the entire score of Pinafore. Similarly, the "HMS Yakko" episode of Animaniacs consists of pastiches of songs from H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance. In a Family Guy episode, "The Thin White Line" (2001), Stewie sings a pastiche of "My gallant crew". The song "He is an Englishman" is referenced both in the title's name and throughout The West Wing episode "And It's Surely to Their Credit".

References

• Michael Ainger: Gilbert and Sullivan – A Dual Biography. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002, ISBN 0-19-514769-3. 
• Reginald Allen: Gilbert and Sullivan in America, The Story of the First D'Oyly Carte Opera Company American Tour. The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York 1979. 
• David L. G. Arnold: [[Leaving Springfield|Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture]]. Hrsg.: Alberti, John. Wayne State University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8143-2849-0, "Use a pen, Sideshow Bob: The Simpsons and the Threat of High Culture. 
• Bordman, Gerald. American Operetta: From H. M. S. Pinafore to Sweeney Todd Oxford University Press, 1981.
• Ian Bradley: The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England 1996, ISBN 0-19-816503-X. 
• Ian Bradley: Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!: The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England 2005, ISBN 0-19-516700-7. 
• Kurt Gänzl: The British Musical Theatre—Volume I, 1865–1914. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1986. 
• Gänzl, Kurt. Gänzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard, 1995 Schirmer/Simon & Schuster ISBN 0028708326
• Lamb, Andrew. "From Pinafore to Porter: United States-United Kingdom Interactions in Musical Theater, 1879-1929", in American Music, Vol. 4, No. 1, British-American Musical Interactions (Spring, 1986), pp. 34-49 University of Illinois Press.
• Cyril Rollins, R. John Witts: The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas: A Record of Productions, 1875–1961. Michael Joseph, London 1962.  Also, five supplements, privately printed.
• W.S. Gilbert: H.M.S. Pinafore - Libretto. Bacon & company, London 1879.  This libretto is available online here.

External links

Wikisource: H.M.S. Pinafore – Quellen und Volltexte

• H.M.S. Pinafore at The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive
• H.M.S. Pinafore at The Gilbert & Sullivan Discography
• Account of the "Fracas at the Opera Comique" in 1879
• Lost Pinafore Song Found
• Biographies of the people listed in the historical casting chart
• Numerous photos of Pinafore
• Bab illustrations of lyrics from H.M.S. Pinafore
• Page linking to numerous Pinafore song parodies
• List of longest running London shows