It should come as no surprise that with my Dad being an old sailor LOVED Gilbert and Sullivan!  “The Pirates of Penzance” with the song from comic-opera: “I am the very model of a modern Major-General” was his favorite.

If you saw the movie “Pretty Woman” and/or “Kate and Leopold” then you have been exposed to Gilbert & Sullivan.   There is a scene in “Pretty Woman” (1990) where they are at the opera and at the end the lady in the next booth asks Julia Roberts what did she think of La Traviata, to which she replies that “she almost peed (her) pants”.  Richard Gere is able to recover quickly and say, “she liked it better than the Pirates of Penzance”.  If you saw the movie “Kate and Leopold” (2001), there is a scene where Hugh Jackman sings “I Am The Very Model of A Modern Major-General” while accompanying himself on the piano.  Thank you to Wikipedia’s (On Twitter: @Wikipedia) Pirates of Penzance for having included among their many references of films where Pirates referenced under Film and Television – these two were my favorite examples!

Recollections of attending productions of Gilbert & Sullivan as a family are recalled and I confirmed with Mom it was “Pirates of Penzance” that was his favorite making sure not confusing it with “H.M.S. Pinafore” which was also a favorite.   Even as recently as the past few years, Mom said they continued to take advantage of catching a touring company when coming through town always enjoying the anticipation of seeing the latest production, some more than others!

Here is a link to the lyrics for the “Major-General’s Song.“

Photo shown (upper left),  1880 poster for an American production of The Pirates of Penzance.  Attribution: By A.S. Seer Print, New York [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Great Britain Commemorative stamps 1992 Gilbert & Sullivan

Here is a link to see images of the Great Britain Commemorative stamps 1992 Gilbert & Sullivan for Series: 150th Birth Anniv of Sir Arthur Sullivan (composer).  That link shows the images for each of these five stamps in the series: The Yeomen of the Guard, The Gondoliers, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and Iolanthe.

2015 Touring Group

It is wonderful to see there is a 2015 Touring group – The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players (On Twitter @NYGASP).  The site is worth exploring!    I encourage you to consider booking tickets and seeing a production LIVE!

According to their website last October they celebrated their 40th Season.  Their website store includes hand drawn coloring books of The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, and The Mikado.

As we wrap up for today

• Be sure to see the You Tube of Patrick Healy singing Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Modern Major General” at JFK Library in 2012 is clear and concise!   He is promoted as a Gilbert and Sullivan Aficionado.
• There was a 1983 movie of The Pirates of Penzance starring Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, and Linda Ronstadt.
• Did you ever see the 1999 musical about Gilbert and Sullivan, “Topsy-Turvy” about them getting ready for the premiere of The Mikado starring Allan Corduner as Sir Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville.

In reading the lyrics to the Major-General’s Song I would not be surprised to discover my Dad did know ‘many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse’  …”But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral” he was the very model of a modern Major-General!

Anchors Aweigh,  

Helen