Full-Length
(2+ Hours)
Comedy
6M, 2W, Flexible Ensemble

Musical

Pirates!

The Penzance Musical


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Awards

Tony Award® nominee for Best Revival of a Musical

Synopsis

PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL is a jazzy and joyous reimagining of the beloved Gilbert & Sullivan crowd-pleasing classic. Transporting the pirates from Penzance to 1800s New Orleans, this outrageously clever romp sizzles with Caribbean rhythms and French Quarter flair with brand-new orchestrations as well as a brand-new book by Tony Award® winner Rupert Holmes (CURTAINS). With a tongue-twisting Major General, a rabble-rousing Pirate King, romance, swordplay, wordplay, and off-the-charts fun, there’s a shipload of musical comedy delights on board to dazzle first-timers and Gilbert & Sullivan aficionados alike. Straight from Broadway in Roundabout Theatre’s rousing and rollicking revival, this version is ideal for schools, amateur societies, and professional companies alike, and is certain to delight performers and audiences across whole of the UK.

Casting & Production


Casting

WILLIAM S. GILBERT / MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY
ARTHUR SULLIVAN / THE SERGEANT OF POLICE
FREDERIC
RUTH
PIRATE KING (Santiago du Bouchard)
MABEL STANLEY

General Stanley’s daughters:
EDITH
KATE
ISABEL
YVETTE
CHANTILLY
EMMA
CALLIE
(and the aforementioned MABEL)

Pirates:
(Caribbean countries of origin, as per Broadway, but all may be revised)
JESUÉ – First Mate, from Jamaica
LUIS – from Tortuga
ARNALDO – from Caracas, Venezuela
FRANCOIS – from Cajun Acadia
LAZARE – from the French Quarter of New Orleans
ROSCOE – from the Atchafalaya swamplands of Louisiana
KERSTEN – from Sint Maarten

Police:
THE SERGEANT OF POLICE
THE VOLUNTEER POLICE OF ORLEANS PARISH
NEW POLICE RECRUITS

Optional, flexible ensemble with opportunities for multiple featured Pirates and Policemen roles.


Setting

Time
1880

Place
New Orleans,
The Theatre of the Renaissance in the French Quarter (the first theatre in New Orleans open to all who had the price of a ticket, with no exceptions or exclusions).


Orchestral Information

15 Musicians

Conductor
Keyboard 1
Keyboard 2
Guitar/Banjo
Bass
Drums
Horn
Trombone
Trumpet 1
Trumpet 2
Reed 1 (Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Piccolo)
Reed 2 (Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo, Saxophone)
Violin 1
Violin 2
Viola
Cello

Upcoming Productions

Oct 16 – 18, 2026
Calallen High School
Corpus Christi, TX
Oct 30 – Nov 02, 2026
Libertyville High School
Libertyville, IL
Mar 05 – 14, 2027
Camden Catholic High School
Cherry Hill, NJ
Mar 05 – 13, 2027
Delaware County Christian School
Newtown Square, PA
Mar 10 – 14, 2027
Lakewood High School
Lakewood, CO
Mar 11 – 14, 2027
Lourdes Academy
Oshkosh, WI
Mar 17 – 18, 2027
The Judd School
Tonbridge, Kent, UK
Mar 18 – 21, 2027
HH Dow High School
Midland, MI
Apr 09 – 18, 2027
Barclay College
Haviland, KS
Apr 13 – 15, 2027
Cathedral Catholic High School
Poway, CA
Apr 13 – 17, 2027
Kilmacud Musical Society
Dundrum, Dublin, IE
Apr 13 – 17, 2027
St Mary's Players Musical Theatre Company
Bristol, Avon, UK
Apr 15 – 17, 2027
Francis Howell Central High School
Saint Charles, MO
Apr 15 – 18, 2027
Cornwall Central High School
New Windsor, NY
Apr 19 – 24, 2027
Strathclair Drama Club
Strathclair, Canada
Apr 22 – 25, 2027
Oklahoma State Univ
Stillwater, OK
May 01 – 15, 2027
Footlight Club
Jamaica Plain, MA
May 21 – Jun 06, 2027
Diamond Head Theatre
Honolulu, HI
Jun 12 – Jul 12, 2027
Actors Cabaret of Eugene
Eugene, OR
Jul 07 – 09, 2027
Barton Court Grammar School
Canterbury, Kent, UK