H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in … See more

• The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, First Lord of the Admiralty (comic baritone)
• Captain … See more

Act I
The British warship H.M.S. Pinafore is at anchor off Portsmouth. The sailors are on the See more

Pinafore opened on 25 May 1878 at the Opera Comique, before an enthusiastic audience, with Sullivan conducting. Soon, however, the piece suffered from weak ticket sales, generally ascribed to a heat wave that made the Opera Comique particularly … See more

In 1875, Richard D'Oyly Carte, who was then managing the Royalty Theatre for Selina Dolaro, brought Gilbert and Sullivan together to write their second show, a one-act opera entitled Trial by Jury. This proved a success, and in 1876 D'Oyly Carte … See more

• Overture
Act I
• 1. "We sail the ocean blue" (Sailors)
• 2. "Hail! men-o'-war's … See more

Initial critical reception
The early reviews were mostly favourable. The Era wrote:
Seldom indeed have we been in the company of a more … See more