New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players: Pirates of Penzance One Act & Selected Favorites Playbill | Strand Theatre 2025

In a condensed version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
or, The Slave of Duty

Sophie Thompson, Soprano: Mabel
Angela Christine Smith, Contralto: Ruth
Christopher Robin Sapp, Tenor: Frederic
James Mills, Comic Baritone: Major General Stanley
Matthew Wages, Bass-Baritone: Samuel and Sergeant of Police
David Wannen, Bass-Baritone: The Pirate King

Pianist – Elizabeth Rodgers

Following intermission the ensemble will present a variety of selections from the Gilbert & Sullivan repertory in a cabaret format – including time for requests from the audience.

STORY OF THE OPERA

When Frederic was yet a little boy, his nurse (Ruth) was told to apprentice him to become a pilot.  She heard the word incorrectly and apprenticed him to a band of pirates, remaining with them herself as a maid-of-all-work.  Although Frederic loathed the trade to which he had thus been bound, he dutifully served.  As the curtain rises, his indentures are up and he announces his intention to leave the band and devote himself to the extermination of piracy.  He urges the pirates to join him in embracing a more lawful calling, but they refuse.  Ruth, however, wishes to become his wife.  Having seen but few women during his pirate life at sea, Frederic hesitates to accept a woman so much older than himself, but he finally consents to marry her.

Just then a group of girls, all the wards of Major-General Stanley, happen upon the scene.  Frederic sees their beauty – and Ruth’s plainness – and renounces her.  Of these girls, Mabel takes a particular interest in Frederic, and he in her.  The other girls are seized by the pirates and threatened with immediate marriage.  When the Major-General arrives, he can dissuade the pirates only by a ruse: he tells them that he is an orphan, and so works upon their sympathies that they let him and his wards go free.

During the ensuing days and nights, however, this lie troubles the Major-General’s conscience.  He sits brooding over it at night in a ruined chapel.  He is consoled by his wards’ sympathy and Frederic’s plan of immediately leading a band of police against the pirates.  The police are reluctant, but Frederic is still enthusiastic.

Meanwhile the Pirate King and Ruth seek out Frederic with surprising news.  They have discovered that his indentures were to run until his twenty first birthday, and – as he was born on February 29 – he has really had as yet only five birthdays.  Obeying the dictates of his strong sense of duty, he immediately rejoins the pirates and tells them of the deception that has been practiced upon them.  They swear revenge as Frederic bids Mabel farewell.  When Mabel tells the police of this change, they comment on their unfortunate lot, then decide to hide.  The pirates storm the chapel, seize the Major-General, and easily defeat the unarmed policemen, however, when requested to yield “in Queen Victoria’s name”, they do so at once.  Ruth reveals that these apparently lawless pirates are “all noblemen who have gone wrong”. The Major-General pardons all and allows them to marry his wards.

MUSICAL NUMBERS

“POUR, O POUR THE PIRATE SHERRY” (Opening Chorus and Solo) Pirates and Samuel

“WHEN FREDERIC WAS A LITTLE LAD” (Solo) Ruth

“OH, BETTER FAR TO LIVE AND DIE” (Solo and Chorus) Pirate King and Pirates

“OH, FALSE ONE, YOU HAVE DECEIVED ME!” (Recitative and Duet) Frederic and Ruth

“POOR WANDERING ONE!” (Solo and Chorus) Mabel and Girls

“STAY, WE MUST NOT LOSE OUR SENSES” (Recitative and Chorus) Frederic, Girls, and Pirates

“HOLD, MONSTERS!” (Recitative and Chorus) Mabel, Samuel, Major-General, Girls, and Pirates

“I AM THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN MAJOR-GENERAL” (Solo and Chorus)

Major-General, Girls, and Pirates

“I’M TELLING A TERRIBLE STORY” (Excerpt from Act 1 Finale) Ensemble

“WHEN THE FOEMAN BARES HIS STEEL” (Solos and Chorus)

Sergeant, Mabel, Edith, Kate, Major-General, Police, and Girls

“NOW FOR THE PIRATES’ LAIR!” (Recitative) Frederic, Pirate King, and Ruth

“WHEN YOU HAD LEFT OUR PIRATE FOLD (Solos, Trio, and Chant) Ruth, Frederic, and Pirate King

“AWAY!, AWAY! MY HEART’S ON FIRE” (Trio) Ruth, Pirate King, and Frederic

“ALL IS PREPARED” (Recitative) Mabel and Frederic

“STAY, FREDERIC, STAY!” (Duet) Mabel and Frederic

“WHEN A FELON’S NOT ENGAGED IN HIS EMPLOYMENT” (Solo and Chorus) Sergeant and Police

“A ROLLICKING BAND OP PIRATES WE (Chorus and Solo) Pirates, Sergeant

“WITH CAT-LIKE TREAD, UPON OUR PREY WE STEAL” (Chorus and Solo) Pirates, and Samuel

“WE YIELD AT ONCE” (Excerpt from Finale of Act II) Ensemble

Intermission: 20 Minutes

Additional Selections from the Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire;
including some time for Audience Requests! 

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST

JAMES MILLS (Major-General Stanley, Patter Baritone) was the 2019/2020 recipient of the Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement. Entire G&S canon onstage with NYGASP. Recently: Major-General Stanley (Pirates), John Wellington Wells (Sorcerer), Reginald Bunthorne (Patience), Sir Joseph Porter KCB (HMS Pinafore), & Jack Point (Yeomen). James is an alum of College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, MA, where he returns to direct G&S productions each summer. He is co-star and co-creator of the all-new drag musical, The Hell’s Kitchenettes. Proud member of AEA.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN SAPP (Frederic, Tenor) A true multi hyphenate, CR has worked professionally as a musical theatre and operetta performer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and LEGO designer. He is currently a swing and social media captain for the North American tour of Les Misérables. Follow along on instagram to see what’s next: @christopherrobinsapp

ANGELA CHRISTINE SMITH (Ruth, Contralto) has completed the G&S canon with NYGASP, including the contralto roles of Ruth, Katisha, Queen of the Fairies, Little Buttercup, Lady Blanche, Dame Carruthers, Duchess of Plaza-Toro, Dame Hannah, Baroness von Krakenfeldt and Mrs. Partlet.  Other credits include Junon in Orphée aux enfers with Opera Company of Middlebury, and Duchess of Plaza-Toro with Winter Opera Saint Louis. Ms. Smith is a proud member of NYGASP’s award-winning cabaret show I’ve Got a Little Twist, and a recipient of the Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement. angelachristinesmith.com

SOPHIE THOMPSON (Mabel, Soprano) joins for her fifth season with NYGASP. Within the G&S canon she has sung both principal and ensemble roles in The Pirates of Penzance, The Sorcerer, Patience, and Trial by Jury. Other stage credits include Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Phoebe (A Gentleman’s Guide…), Trio (Trouble in Tahiti), Eliza (Dark Sisters), and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte). MM Eastman School of Music; BFA Carnegie Mellon University.

MATTHEW WAGES (Samuel & Sergeant of Police, Bass-Baritone) 2022/2023 Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement. In addition to Shakespeare, musical theatre and educational series, Mr. Wages has performed 18 different principal bass and baritone roles with NYGASP since 2015. Dramatis Personae: Pirate King, Pooh-Bah, Lord Mountararat, Giuseppe Palmieri, Sergeant of Police, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, Wilfred Shadbolt, Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre, Florian, Major Murgatroyd, Samuel, Bouncer (Cox & Box), Tare/Poppytop/de Vere (Ages Ago/Mr. Jericho), I’ve Got A Little Twist, Roderic (Ruddygore: Revisited) G&S Festival U.K. Director and Adapter of Cox and Box, the Film!  Love to Kenji, Jo Jo & Kento. MatthewWages.com, FB: The Matthew Wages, IG: @MatthewWages.

DAVID WANNEN (The Pirate King, Bass-Baritone) NYGASP since 2004: favorites include Pirate King (Pirates), Wilfred Shadbolt (Yeomen), Colonel Calverley (Patience), Paramount (Utopia), Pvt. Willis (Iolanthe), Sultan (Rose of Persia), Arac (Princess Ida), Bill Bobstay (H.M.S. Pinafore) and title role in The Mikado. Tours: Beauty and the Beast (Beast u/s), Camelot with the late Robert Goulet (Lancelot u/s); Regional: Nominated Best Featured Actor by Philadelphia Inquirer for Camelot (Media Theater). Producer, 2017 The Mikado; Co-Producer & Original Cast, I’ve Got a Little Twist!; Executive Director, NYGASP.

WHO’S WHO IN THE COMPANY

JAMES MILLS (Artistic Director) is a native of New Mexico and a graduate from the UNM Department of Theatre and Dance. He has worked onstage and off with NYGASP for twenty seasons. Most known for his “patterman” roles, James has stage managed, tech directed, and assistant directed productions for NYGASP, as well as having helmed the many pandemic-era digital presentations. James is a stage director for The College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, MA. As a member of the CLOC National Honorary Committee of Alumni, James takes pride in sharing the legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan with students from around the country.

ELIZABETH RODGERS (Pianist) holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music. She is in demand as a recitalist with singers and instrumentalists, including the distinguished soprano Judith Raskin, and in chamber music, orchestral, choral and operatic repertoire. Ensembles she performed with include Music Under Construction, American Chamber Opera, American Landmark Festivals, and the Moss Ensemble. Ms. Rodgers has recorded for the PARMA, Opus 1, Grenadilla, CRI, Musical Heritage, New World, Albany, and Arabesque labels. Her recent solo album, Views from the Keyboard-Piano Music by Wendy Griffith, is available on Apple Music and Spotify.

DAVID WANNEN (Executive Director & President) is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music in vocal performance and holds a post-baccalaureate in business from Columbia University. Mr. Wannen is a veteran of the NYGASP stage and a member of the NYGASP board of directors. Mr. Wannen is producer of the all-new critically-acclaimed production of The Mikado, and co-producer of I’ve Got a Little Twist, NYGASP’s original cabaret. His other responsibilities for NYGASP include fundraising, marketing, board development, and strategic planning. Mr. Wannen is a past president of North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, recently completing six years of service as an officer of the board. He is the recipient of the 2018 Western Arts Alliance Award for Mentorship and an Association of Performing Arts Professionals Leadership Fellow. 

NEW YORK GILBERT & SULLIVAN PLAYERS
COMPANY & PRODUCTION STAFF

Artistic Director ……………………………………………………..……………………………………………………….James Mills

Executive Director & President……………………………………..………………………………………………David Wannen

Managing Director & Musical Director……………………………………………………..……………………..Joseph Rubin

Company Manager/Wardrobe Manager……………………………………………………………………….Michael Galante

Development Manager………………………………………………………………………………………..Sarah Caldwell Smith

Education Manager……………………………………………………………………………………………………Hannah Holmes

Co-Director/Choreographer…………………………………………………………………………………………….David Auxier

Company Photographer………………………………………..………………………………………………………Danny Bristoll

The photographing or sound recording of this performance or possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording is prohibited.

Introduction to The Pirates of Penzance

by New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players Founder & Artistic Director Emeritus, Albert Bergeret

The Pirates of Penzance hardly needs an introduction.  Long before Joe Papp’s Broadway production and major motion picture added renewed popularity, this engaging operetta had established itself as one of the best loved pieces of musical theatre in the English speaking world.

The Pirates of Penzance was the only Gilbert & Sullivan opus to receive its premiere here in the USA.  In a vain attempt to secure an international copyright for their work, the celebrated team brought their fifth collaboration to The Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York in December of 1879.  The title might very well have been inspired by the many “pirated” (and therefore not profitable to G&S) productions of H.M.S. Pinafore which had preceded them across the Atlantic.  Several such productions ran concurrently in New York, clearly establishing the American appreciation for this uniquely British art form.  Perhaps because they were in the public domain from the outset (at least here in the States), these works have rarely been absent from the boards ever since.

The history of Pirates is notable for several other reasons as well.  On the voyage across the ocean, Sullivan misplaced his musical score and had to recreate all of the music from memory.  His composition for the women’s entrance eluded him, so he substituted a similar chorus from the never published score of Thespis.  As a result, “Climbing Over Rocky Mountain” is the only authentic chorus in existence from that lost score.  With the rousing ensemble number “When the Foeman Bares His Steel”, Sullivan perfected the double chorus technique which was to become one of his hallmarks.  Two distinct choral themes are introduced separately and then overlapped for a dramatic musical climax.  Gilbert also brought to the foreground for the first time his frequent lampooning of the British Aristocracy, with direct references to Queen Victoria and the Peerage.  Then of course “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” raised the art of the patter song to an all time high.  This song has been parodied in numerous product commercials (Campbell’s Soup, Handiwipes, and The New York Times come to mind immediately), has been frequently used as an elocution exercise for speech students, and was once employed by comedian Tom Lehrer to set a list of all the elements from the periodic table!

The score for Pirates is as effervescent as its characters.  Sullivan’s reference to grand opera (and Verdi in particular) is everywhere, most notably in Mabel’s aria “Poor Wand’ring One”, which is a direct parody of Violetta’s “Sempre Libera” from La Traviata – in the same key and with the identical cadenza.  Yet another layer of imitation enters the picture when Sullivan’s take on the Anvil Chorus in Il Trovatore, “Come Friends Who Plough the Sea”, later becomes the tune for the popular camp song “Hail, Hail the Gang’s All Here”.  These examples refer to well known moments, however, in many other Gilbert & Sullivan settings the parody remains more memorable than its original source!

Children have always been attracted to Pirates because of the child like behavior of these gentle souls and their earnest apprentice.  Historically the idea of “noblemen who have gone wrong” is not only familiar child’s play but also close to the truth.  Most famous “pirates” were political or social outcasts from the upper classes.  Gilbert’s satiric and deliberately silly ending actually has real historic validity!

From a performing company’s perspective Pirates has many charms.  First and foremost is the predominant role that the chorus plays, and the opportunity for individual characterizations within the ensembles.  The interaction between the various groups of pirates, policemen, and daughters is particularly playful and always delights both the audience and the cast participants.  Another colorful aspect is the wide range of the vocal parts, from the very high coloratura soprano of Mabel and the lyric tenor of Frederic, to the growly low bass of the policemen.  In the first production of Pirates in which I performed back in college, I sang first tenor in the first act and second bass in the second act because I could actually hit both extremes!  It is an oddity of the printed score that the Major-General is listed as singing with the basses at certain points and with the tenors at other times – certainly not a musical necessity and rarely followed in practice.

To describe Pirates as a romp is surely no exaggeration.  It’s representation of naiveté, romance, and sentiment – all mixed with wit and sophisticated verbal by play – leaves the audience and performers alike with a giddy sense of joy that is timeless.  I’m sure that Pirates will remain a staple of the G&S canon for as long as these classic operettas continue to enthrall the child in all of us!

ABOUT THE NEW YORK GILBERT & SULLIVAN PLAYERS

Now in its fifty first year of operation, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) is America’s preeminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory ensemble.  Founded by Albert Bergeret, who was hailed as “the leading custodian of the G&S classics” by New York Magazine, NYGASP has created its own special niche in the cultural mosaic of New York City and the nation.  Since its founding in 1974, the company has presented over 3,000 performances of the G&S masterpieces throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K. captivating audiences of all ages.

The company has in its repertory thirteen different complete G&S comic operas (cast, orchestra and crew of 50-80 people), special versions of the most popular operettas designed for children’s audiences, and a variety of charming concert programs created especially for NYGASP’s sextet of stars ensemble.

NYGASP’s annual New York seasons started at the Peter Norton Symphony Space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1978, followed by seasons at New York’s venerable City Center in 2001.  NYGASP’s performing home since 2015 has been the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College.  Our 2025-26 51st season includes The Yeomen of the Guard, H.M.S. Pinafore and Utopia, Limited. For more information visit www.nygasp.org

The company’s celebrated ensemble of G&S experts, developed by introducing new singers each year from New York’s immense pool of vocal and theatrical talent, has collaborated with such guest artists as world-renowned G&S exponent the late John Reed, O.B.E. in numerous comic baritone roles, Tony winner John Rubinstein and Frank Gorshin both as King Gama in Princess Ida, John Astin as Sir Joseph in H.M.S. Pinafore, Hal Linden and Noel Harrison as the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance, Pat Carroll as Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Steve Allen as The Mikado. In June 2010 NYGASP was part of the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Gettysburg, PA. The company returned in August 2014 to the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate, England.  

Touring activities continue throughout the year and in 2026 take the company to California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico in The Mikado.