The Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island is bringing H.M.S. Pinafore to new audiences this summer with performances across Nassau and Suffolk counties, including a free outdoor show in Huntington on July 3.
The 19th-century operetta, also known as The Lass That Loved a Sailor, was Gilbert and Sullivan’s first international hit and remains one of their most performed works.
“I think people will really love that despite the fact that H.M.S. Pinafore is a Victorian play, the themes of love still ring very true today,” said Delaney R. Page, secretary for Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island.
Page plays Little Buttercup, a character with a secret, in a story that includes humor and a message.
“Love conquers all and still connects us despite everything,” she said.
The operetta, which centers on love complicated by class distinctions and naval hierarchy, was the fourth collaboration between composer Arthur Sullivan and dramatist W.S. Gilbert. It premiered in 1878 at London’s Opera Comique and, according to Page, was playing in nearly a dozen theaters when the pair first arrived in New York.
To Page, the musical score is as memorable as the script.
“The music takes lots of influences from classical pieces as well as contemporary pieces to form the Gilbert and Sullivan style,” she said.
She expressed special appreciation for the ballads.
“There is a song sung by Josephine in the second act, which I find really beautiful, and she is debating on what she wants to do—should she follow her duty or should she follow her heart. She's being torn apart and has an amazing high solo that I absolutely love.”
Page considers H.M.S. Pinafore one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s top three works, alongside The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado.
“I think they’re popular because the music is incredible. It’s still catchy as all get out,” she said.
The next performance will take place Saturday, June 28, at the Jeanne Rimsky Theatre at the Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Showtime is 8 p.m.
On Sunday, June 29, the group appears at the Star Playhouse at the Suffolk Y JCC, 74 Hauppauge Road, Commack. The performance begins at 3 p.m.
Admission for these performances is $35 at the door, with a $5 discount for seniors and students. Advance tickets are $30 for general admission and $25 for seniors and students.
A free performance will be held Thursday, July 3, at the Chapin Rainbow Stage, 2 Prime Ave., in Huntington. The event is sponsored by the Huntington Arts Council.
“The Huntington Arts Council has graciously sponsored the show free to the public that wants to come,” Page said.
Founded in 1954, the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island is the oldest opera company in the region.
“All the profits from tickets go right back into performances,” Page said. That includes restoring costumes and sets “completely destroyed by the ocean” during Superstorm Sandy.
For more information, visit https://gaslocoli.org.