Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore
The fourth collaboration between Gilbert & Sullivan and their first blockbuster hit was HMS Pinafore, or ‘The Lass That Loved a Sailor.’ The opera opened on 28 May 1878 at the Opera Comique in London and ran for 571 performances. It became a huge hit in England, as well as in America, being copied illegally by dozens of performing companies.
Pinafore is one of the most popular Gilbert & Sullivan operas, perhaps because of its infectious tunes and generally well-constructed libretto. Drawing on several of his earlier ‘bab ballad’ poems, Gilbert imbued HMS Pinafore with mirth and silliness in abundance. The opera’s gentle satire reprises and builds upon the love between members of different social classes.
The action takes place on the quarterdeck of HMS Pinafore which is anchored in the harbour at Portsmouth. This is a tale of mismatched love across different social classes. Josephine is the captain’s daughter and has fallen for lowly sailor Ralph. Yet her father has other ideas – he has promised her to Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Will love prevail? Climb aboard to find out and enjoy a feast of fun along the way. Hip hip hooray!
Held in the stunning Arundells garden in the shadow of Salisbury Cathedral. Come early and enjoy a wander around the garden or explore in the interval.
The comedy works of Gilbert and Sullivan are a good way of introducing the public to opera and the Opera Anywhere company ticks all the boxes for bringing professional productions to small scale venues.
A cast of ten singers, an accompanying pianist and a flautist make the most of the comic possibilities in this musical romance that pokes relentless fun at Britain’s posh people and the ruling classes.
Founders of the touring company, Mike and Vanessa Woodward each have leading roles in the production which maintains a high standard throughout in spite of the staging and scenery being very basic, the emphasis wisely concentrating upon the vocal abilities of the performers. There are excellent performances by the young singers which are led by Andre Refig as a naval captain and Ellie Neate as his daughter who makes the mistake of falling in love with a low-life sailor although of course it all comes out right in the end.
Marion Cox, Dorset Press
Such energy and commitment from every single performer and a great production.
Julie Fisher, audience member, HMS Pinafore, Waterperry Gardens, July 2018
When: Wednesday 28th August, access to garden from 6.00pm. Show starts 7.30pm.
Where: The Garden, Arundells, Cathedral Close, Salisbury.
Ticket Prices: 'early bird' tickets available until 31st March, Adults: £20, Under 18s: £8, thereafter £25/£10
Additional Information
Please note that this is an outdoor performance come rain or shine, so please do bring the appropriate attire with you as there is no covered area.
Bring your own folding chairs or picnic blankets, there are no chairs provided.
We encourage picnics but we do ask that you please take your rubbish home with you please. The garden will open from 6pm and the performance will start at 7.30pm.
There is no parking at Arundells, we recommend using city centre car parks.
As much as we love dogs and welcome them in the garden on our open days, only special assistance dogs are invited to our events.
All tickets are non refundable but you are very welcome to pass them on to friends or family if you are unable to attend.
Ticket options
The fourth collaboration between Gilbert & Sullivan and their first blockbuster hit was HMS Pinafore, or ‘The Lass That Loved a Sailor.’ The opera opened on 28 May 1878 at the Opera Comique in London and ran for 571 performances. It became a huge hit in England, as well as in America, being copied illegally by dozens of performing companies.
Pinafore is one of the most popular Gilbert & Sullivan operas, perhaps because of its infectious tunes and generally well-constructed libretto. Drawing on several of his earlier ‘bab ballad’ poems, Gilbert imbued HMS Pinafore with mirth and silliness in abundance. The opera’s gentle satire reprises and builds upon the love between members of different social classes.
The action takes place on the quarterdeck of HMS Pinafore which is anchored in the harbour at Portsmouth. This is a tale of mismatched love across different social classes. Josephine is the captain’s daughter and has fallen for lowly sailor Ralph. Yet her father has other ideas – he has promised her to Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Will love prevail? Climb aboard to find out and enjoy a feast of fun along the way. Hip hip hooray!
Held in the stunning Arundells garden in the shadow of Salisbury Cathedral. Come early and enjoy a wander around the garden or explore in the interval.
The comedy works of Gilbert and Sullivan are a good way of introducing the public to opera and the Opera Anywhere company ticks all the boxes for bringing professional productions to small scale venues.
A cast of ten singers, an accompanying pianist and a flautist make the most of the comic possibilities in this musical romance that pokes relentless fun at Britain’s posh people and the ruling classes.
Founders of the touring company, Mike and Vanessa Woodward each have leading roles in the production which maintains a high standard throughout in spite of the staging and scenery being very basic, the emphasis wisely concentrating upon the vocal abilities of the performers. There are excellent performances by the young singers which are led by Andre Refig as a naval captain and Ellie Neate as his daughter who makes the mistake of falling in love with a low-life sailor although of course it all comes out right in the end.
Marion Cox, Dorset Press
Such energy and commitment from every single performer and a great production.
Julie Fisher, audience member, HMS Pinafore, Waterperry Gardens, July 2018
When: Wednesday 28th August, access to garden from 6.00pm. Show starts 7.30pm.
Where: The Garden, Arundells, Cathedral Close, Salisbury.
Ticket Prices: 'early bird' tickets available until 31st March, Adults: £20, Under 18s: £8, thereafter £25/£10
Additional Information
Please note that this is an outdoor performance come rain or shine, so please do bring the appropriate attire with you as there is no covered area.
Bring your own folding chairs or picnic blankets, there are no chairs provided.
We encourage picnics but we do ask that you please take your rubbish home with you please. The garden will open from 6pm and the performance will start at 7.30pm.
There is no parking at Arundells, we recommend using city centre car parks.
As much as we love dogs and welcome them in the garden on our open days, only special assistance dogs are invited to our events.
All tickets are non refundable but you are very welcome to pass them on to friends or family if you are unable to attend.
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