First performed at the Fifth Ave, Theatre, New York, on 31st December, 1879, subtitled �The Slave of Duty�
The Pirates of Penzance was the fifth opera written by Gilbert & Sullivan, and their fourth for D�Oyly Carte. It has the unique distinction of having its premier in New York on 31st December 1879. In fact, a good part of the opera was also composed in the USA, Sullivan having, accidentally, left the bulk of his music for Act Two back in England! The British premiere was on 3rd April 1880 at the Savoy, where it ran for 363 performances, rather fewer than Pinafore�s 571.
The title of Pirates may have been inspired by the troubles that Gilbert & Sullivan were having with pirate productions of Pinafore in the United States, which did not subscribe to international copyright laws. The actual target of the satire is two-fold: it is a parody of the conventions of Grand Opera, and in content it is a brilliant satire on the Victorian belief that duty is �before all�. The grand opera parodies still delight: people singing about things rather than getting on and doing them (�Yes, but you don�t go!�), the �barnyard� vocal effects in Italian soprano arias and the habit of people singing songs with a chorus of hidden people that they never notice!
The bulk of the satire, however, is targeted at the concept of doing one�s duty being above any other virtue. This was a concept held dear by the Victorians. Gilbert successfully debunks this view by posing the dilemma �what if your duty is to do evil things?�. Throughout the opera, characters struggle with the conflict between duty and feelings: Frederic is a model pirate, despite his high moral standards, the tender-hearted pirates themselves won�t attack orphans, the policemen hate arresting people, and even Mabel claims to be marrying out of a sense of duty! This must have been a rather unsettling show for the original Victorian audience.
In addition, there are side-swipes at the nouveau riche and the ascendancy of theory over practice in the army. Also, notice the use of one of Gilbert�s favorite tricks � whenever anybody says anything, whether it about birthdays or baby swapping, everybody automatically believes them!