Premiering in 1878, H.M.S. PINAFORE was Gilbert & Sullivan’s first smash hit and became the gold standard for light opera for generations to come. While Gilbert takes aim at class divisions and assumptions of authoritative competence, Sullivan delivers some of the pair’s most famous hummable tunes, including the iconic and much parodied, “When I was a lad.” Sir Joseph Porter’s hymn to himself, this song to this day begs the question, “Is it possible that high offices of state are occupied by clueless idiots?” Queen Victoria may not have been amused by the satire of those in authority, but in nearly 150 years, millions of audience members certainly have been!

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