H.M.S. PINAFORE. amuse and not provoke, the universal nature of human foibles shines through to any audience.

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1 H.M.S. PINAFORE INFORMATION FOR PRESS RELEASE AND PROMOTION (For further information and interviews please Joseph Rubin, Manager at or call ) Ride a wave of music and laughter as romantic sailors, sisters, cousins, and aunts sing and dance their way across the deck of the fanciful British naval vessel with the improbable name. The very proper Captain Corcoran and ridiculously pompous Sir Joseph Porter preside, the villainous Dick Deadeye speaks the ugly truth, and Little Buttercup reveals the outrageous mistake that allows true love to overcome the problems of class distinction. Memorable signature tunes abound on board ship and the riotous Bell Trio sparks a celebration in Act II. H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass That Loved A Sailor on May 25, 1878, and has remained popular on both sides of the Atlantic ever since. The show s satirical jabs at the vaunted British Navy and at rigid Victorian class distinctions remain as readily understand- amuse and not provoke, the universal nature of human foibles shines through to any audience. Author Gilbert s characters are sharply drawn, from the romantic hero Ralph Rackstraw and the pompous Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., to the villainous Dick Deadeye. Composer Sullivan provides indelible musical introductions: I m called Little Buttercup, I am the Captain of the Pinafore, I am the Monarch of the Sea songs which are among the most famous in the English language. The choruses also have We Are His Sisters, and His Cousins, and His Aunts and the rousing full ensemble anthem For He Is an Englishman. The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players production of H.M.S. Pinafore features an elaborate setting of a ship s deck, based on drawings by Gilbert himself, and beautiful Belle Epoch costumes. Besides choreography and broad comedy.

2 QUOTES ABOUT NYGASP S H.M.S. Pinafore...New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players has set a winner to sail... unusually able singers and nimble comicactors a sunny graceful wit that captures the show s delicate balance of comedy and sentimentality. THE NEW YORK TIMES Super is a small word for this production. It is energized, it moves and the tempo of performance dance, often in surprising moments and always to the delight of the audience - and seemingly themselves...a brilliantly workable set. NY DAILY NEWS merry choruses and patter songs... enjoy the wit and satire, share the wonderful music and spoof.. the cast threads and dances its way across the decks with agility and kaleidoscopic motion. NEW YORK POST RICHMOND, VA NEWS LEADER musical satire at its best...the cast was splendid. STAMFORD, CT THE ADVOCATE a completely satisfying performance. RICHMOND, VA TIMES-DISPATCH Victorian satire never dies, it gets exported to the United States for laughs.. we delight in its rhyme, its music, and its ridiculous exaggerations of domestic problems... New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players to be proper. DAYTONA BEACH, FL THE NEWS-JOURNAL...New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players remained faithful to the libretto yet kept the performance innovative and fresh...neatly added clever touches that G&S fans always seek. WILKES-BARRE, PA THE TIMES LEADER

3 Story of H.M.S. Pinafore High Spirits seem to be the order of the day aboard Her Majesty s Ship Pinafore, anticipating the visit of Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty. The crew is busy preparing the ship, stopping only to make purchases from Little Buttercup, a peddler, and to exchange compliments with their well-mannered Captain. The only sad note is struck by Ralph Rackstraw, one of the sailors, who is hopelessly in love with Josephine, the Captain s daughter. Not only is her social position far above his, but her hand has been promised by her father to Sir Joseph. When Sir Joseph arrives with his female entourage, professing some decidedly eccentric ideas about threatens suicide, she admits her love for him and agrees to elope. That night, Captain Corcoran learns that he, too, has a secret admirer - Little Buttercup - but he puts all ranks, which she takes, however, as an endorsement of her love for Ralph. Her father, upon learning of her true plans, halts the elopement. His furious outburst of Damme! is overheard by Sir Joseph, who banishes him to his cabin. Sir Joseph is even more outraged, though, when he hears the reason for the Captain s anger. He orders Ralph imprisoned, and is about to turn on Josephine when Little Buttercup makes an extraordinary confession: Ralph and the Captain, entrusted to her care as babies, were somehow exchanged! The improbability of the revelation proves no obstacle to its immediate acceptance by all concerned, and the sailor and the Captain assume each other s places. Their new stations enable them to marry Josephine and Little Buttercup, and Sir Joseph is claimed by his cousin Hebe.

4 Introduction to H.M.S. Pinafore by New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players Artistic Director Albert Bergeret H.M.S. Pinafore, and the rest of the Gilbert & Sullivan canon, is the lack of malice in its otherwise biting satire. H.M.S. Pinafore is a rather trenchant commentary on the injustice of class distinction, overblown nationalism, and Sullivan s highly memorable settings of each character and group s signature entrance adds to this sense of delight. In cases such as H.M.S. Pinafore, the satire itself has outlived the object of its parodic thrust. Many of similarity of Buttercup s revelation to Verdi s Il Trovatore, remain more familiar. Likewise, Gilbert s parody of the melodrama staple switched in infancy ploy is viewed as a clichéé on its own, rather than ending is part of the joke. Despite the theme of social injustice, no revolution occurs here - the status of the characters is changed speak reasonably about the behavior of sailors involved in military activities ( when people have to obey proper relationships within class structures have been maintained! H.M.S. Pinafore is a model of theatrical brevity, and much of its charm derives therefrom. Each group - reversal. When New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players undertook a Reader s Digest Version of the show as a joke, the essence of the plot was easily acted out in less than one minute! Lord of the Admiralty, nor the history of the British navy, nor the exact customs of Victorian society - the types of human nature are depicted simply and straightforwardly. It is no wonder that H.M.S. Pinafore was an immediate hit on both sides of the Atlantic and established its creators reputation throughout the English speaking world! Gilbert & Sullivan never obtained international copyrights, but York City alone at one point in time. H.M.S. Pinafore work, with its union of popular musical hall and more elite operatic elements, as the true father of musical theatre as we know it. Its descendants have been going back and forth across the Atlantic ever since.

5 MUSICAL NUMBERS ACT I ACT II Entr acte