The
Pirates of Penzance was launched on
30 December 1879. It was premiered in a
spectacular way with an incomplete performance in the Bijou Theatre, Painton on
30 December 1879 and in the Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York the following day,
to secure English and American copyright. It was first staged in the Opera Comique, London 3 April 1880 and ran
for 383 performances. The two main themes - a man may become a complete
slave to his sense of duty and, equally that the unfortunate leap year
babies come of age when they are at least 84 years old!
Footnote: The Music on this page is an arrangement of The Meeting of Pirates
and Policemen from
The Pirates of Penzance