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Pirates of Penzance, The: Musical synopsis


Pirates of Penzance, The synopsis


On the shore of Cornwall, in the time of Queen Victoria's reign, the young boy Frederic is celebrating his 21st year of birth in the company of pirates. Concurrently, this day is the last day of a young man studying the pirate ‘mastership’, to which he was condemned by his own babysitter due to her poor hearing. She did not hear well the instructions of the dying young man's father & instead to make sure he would become the captain of the ship, she sent him to learn the tricks of the pirate business. The young man announced that after leaving the ship, he would have to change his occupation. Now he has to fight with them. Besides, they are not successful pirates. A true villain does not have a sense of pity, but these pirates release all the children who are (or pretend to be) orphans. He asks his former friends to go away with him, but they did not agree, focusing on the fact that pirates business in comparison with the secular virtue is supposedly more honest. Suddenly, the boy saw a group of girls & was affected by their beauty. As previously, except for the babysitter, he did not see other women. One of them offered to help him & the young people immediately fell in love. But the young man had no chance to warn them about the pirates’ closeness as they come & take the women in captivity. Suddenly appears major-general – the father of the captives. Learning of Pirates of Penzance, he pretends to be an orphan. This pacified the villains & they let girls go. In this simple way, major-general & his daughter became honorary members of the pirate gang. Left alone with his thoughts in his estate, major-general is in remorse, because he so brazenly lied to the pirates. Even prayers & consolations of daughters do not produce the desired effect on him. Soon the police squad arrives, announcing the intention to arrest the pirate gang & this is admired by young girls. Staying in gloomy reflections, Frederic decides to bring the police in pirate lair in order to atone the fact that he had been for so many years their accomplice. But the plans of the young man did not come true, because the head of the pirates announces him as his birthday fell on 29 February, i.e., is celebrated only once per every 4 years, in fact, he served only 5 years. So he should be serving 63 more years before his 80th birthday. The young man agrees with such reasoning & declares his readiness to return to the team, but before he reveals the lie of the old major-general. Perturbed pirates promise to avenge to an old man. Beloved of the young man begs him to stay, but he is tied with mobsters with duty, therefore, cannot cease faithful service to them. The young man is torn between his duty & the desire to stay with the beloved girl, but she comforted him, promising to wait. When the police arrives, a brave girl asks to arrest the pirates who attacked the meantime her father's estate. Pirates saw an old man, meditating on the beach & wanted to grab him, to punish him for his daring lie. But the police, who lurked nearby, enters the fray. Suddenly, the commander of the police squad, seeing that the forces are unequal, ordered the pirates in the name of queen to lay down their arms & surrender. Honest pirates, hearing the name of a respected & beloved queen, execute an order. Appears a babysitter of a boy & declares that the pirates are noblepersons who went the wrong way. Major-general, impressed by the latest news, allows them to take his daughters in marriage.
Last Update:August, 25th 2025

Pirates of Penzance, The Lyrics: Song List

  1. Act 1
  2. Pour, O Pour the Pirate Sherry
  3. You Are Too Tender-Hearted
  4. When Frederic Was a Little Lad
  5. Oh, Better Far to Live and Die
  6. Oh! False One, You Have Deceived Me
  7. Climbing over Rocky Mountain
  8. Stop, Ladies, Pray!
  9. Oh Is There Not One Maiden Breast?
  10. Oh, Sisters, Deaf To Pity’s Name
  11. Poor Wandering One
  12. What Ought We to Do?
  13. How Beautifully Blue the Sky
  14. Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses
  15. Hold, Monsters!
  16. I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General
  17. And Now That I’ve Introduced Myself (Dialogue)
  18. For He Is An Orphan Boy
  19. Oh, Dry the Glistening Tear
  20. Finale Act I
  21. Act 2
  22. Oh, Men of Dark and Dismal Fate
  23. I’m Telling a Terrible Story
  24. Now, Frederic, Let Your Escort Lion-Hearted When the Foeman Bares His Steel
  25. Now for the Pirates' Lair!
  26. When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold
  27. Away, Away! My Heart's on Fire
  28. All Is Prepared / Stay, Frederic, Stay!
  29. No, I'll be brave
  30. When a Felon's Not Engaged in His Employment
  31. A Rollicking Ban of Pirates We
  32. With Cat-Like Tread
  33. Hush, Hush! Not a Word / Sighing Softly to the River
  34. Finale

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