Die Piraten von Penzance

On his 21st birthday, the last day of his apprenticeship, the pirate apprentice Frederik reveals to his comrades, the famous pirates of Penzance, that he was sent to their ship only by a misunderstanding from his nurse Ruth. It was merely his sense of duty that made him complete his training in the hated profession. With a heavy heart, the pirate king lets him go. On the beach of Cornwall, Frederik encounters the many daughters of Major General Stanley and falls in love with the beautiful Mabel. The marriage-hungry pirates have also set their sights on the ladies, but with a clever trick, the Major General manages to protect his daughters from a fate as pirate brides. Just when everyone seems satisfied, Frederik is shaken by a piece of information that could condemn him to serve the pirates for many more years.

Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, first performed in 1879, has not lost any of its humorous impact to this day. The congenial blend of the sparkling music, which cleverly parodies the great Italian works of the time, and the dialogue and situational comedy that hints at the greatness of the 20th century, such as Monty Python and Mr. Bean, is clearly the reason why the work still remains one of the most performed in British musical theater.