The Pirates of Penzance

Monday, February 1, 2027

Doors 6:30pm, Show 7:30pm · Tennessee Williams Theatre

The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players bring their production of  to Key West this February. NYGASP has been the country’s leading Gilbert & Sullivan repertory company for more than fifty years, and Pirates is the piece they’re best known for — a full staging with orchestra, chorus, and the kind of comic timing that only comes from performing the same material for decades without getting tired of it.

The plot runs on one of Gilbert’s better absurdities. Frederic has been apprenticed to a band of soft-hearted pirates and intends to leave their service on his twenty-first birthday to devote himself to stamping out piracy. The catch is that he was born on February 29th, which means his twenty-first birthday won’t arrive until 1940. Duty being duty, he goes back to the pirates. What follows involves a false claim of orphanhood, a squad of thoroughly reluctant policemen, and a resolution that hinges on everyone turning out to be a nobleman. Along the way you get “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,” still the most famous patter song ever written and still, done well, genuinely funny.

The New York Times has praised the company’s staging as opulent and inventive, singling out the chorus of pirates, daughters, and policemen and the strength of the orchestra. Subscription packages covering the full 2027 season are available at a 15% savings.

Schedule subject to change. Information courtesy of Tennessee Williams Theatre — visit twstages.com for tickets and complete details.