The Savoy Company presents H.M.S. Pinafore!
The sailors of the H.M.S. Pinafore welcome Little Buttercup as she comes aboard to sell her wares. The popular Captain Corcoran greets his gallant crew preparing for the arrival of Sir Joseph, First Lord of the Admiralty, and his adoring entourage of sisters, cousins, and aunts. The Captain confides to Little Buttercup that he hopes to marry his beloved daughter Josephine to the rich, well-bred Sir Joseph. Little Buttercup secretly loves the Captain who admires her as “a plump and pleasing person.” Later pleading his own cause, Sir Joseph tells Josephine that the difference in social status is no barrier to love. Josephine is elated by the advice since she and Ralph Rackstraw, a lowly sailor aboard her father’s ship, have fallen in love and plan to elope. Dick Deadeye warns the Captain. To the rescue is Little Buttercup revealing a well-kept secret to save the day!
H.M.S. Pinafore, relying on comedic good-humored satire, pokes fun at many things Victorian: the English social classes, marriage, the Royal Navy, and the political appointment of unqualified people to positions of authority. It features some of the most memorable Gilbert & Sullivan songs including: “We sail the ocean blue,” “I’m called Little Buttercup,” and “I am the monarch of the sea.” H.M.S. Pinafore promises to be a seaworthy love story, a delight for audiences of all ages. The Savoy Company is now the oldest amateur theatre company in the world dedicated solely to the production of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan.