H.M.S. Pinafore, the classic comic opera that made Gilbert & Sullivan world famous almost 150 years ago, returns to Long Island in the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island’s all-new 2025 production, coming to the Star Playhouse at Suffolk Y/JCC on Sunday, June 29 at 3 p.m., in a full production with orchestra and chorus.
H.M.S. Pinafore—which debuted in 1878, with book and lyrics by W.S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan—is among the most beloved of all the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, with its combination of sparkling lyrics, beautiful music and satirical dialogue. The current production is the Light Opera Company’s first since 2015.
The comical plot centers on the love story of Josephine, the Captain’s heart-driven daughter, who is torn between devotion and duty. She is betrothed to the wealthy, high-ranking politician Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Navy (a post equivalent to the American Secretary of the Navy), but her heart yearns for the lowly, earnest and strangely eloquent sailor, Ralph Rackstraw. As the sinister Dick Deadeye warns them, love across the boundaries of rank is unheard of, but will he take measures to thwart the lovers? The love story is mirrored by the cheerful shipboard saleswoman Little Buttercup, who hints at a dark secret and a furtive love of her own. Can the Captain steer this ship safely through this maelstrom of emotion?
Anne Elise Teeling of Brooklyn sings Josephine and Aaron Mor of Forest Hills sings Ralph. Chris Jurak of Hempstead is Captain Corcoran, with Chris Diamond of Glen Cove as the supercilious Sir Joseph. Ian Joyal of New Hyde Park plays the scheming Dick Deadeye, with Henry Horstmann of Lindenhurst as the good-natured Bos’n’s mate, and David Aubrey of Great Neck as the phlegmatic Carpenter’s Mate. Delaney R. Page of Lynbrook plays the secretive Little Buttercup, with Mary DeMarco Lee of Huntington as Sir Joseph’s bumptious Cousin Hebe. The director is David Macaluso and the music director is Northport’s Isabella Eredita Johnson, with Michael C. Haigler conducting.
“H.M.S. Pinafore is buoyant,” says Macaluso, a Gilbert & Sullivan expert who has been seen frequently with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and other companies. “It has an effervescent story with heart, and our talented cast brings these colorful characters to life through a trove of quintessential G&S songs. H.M.S. Pinafore was a global phenomenon when it premiered, and its combination of exciting music and comic wit have charmed audiences for 147 years, it’s as bright as ever. We’re having a great time polishing this gem.”
The score for HMS Pinafore is full of classics, ranging from Sir Joseph’s self-congratulatory “When I Was a Lad” to the Captain’s strutting “I Am the Captain of the Pinafore,” with its famous “What, never? Well, hardly ever!” refrain. There’s Ralph’s captivating “A Maiden Fair to See,” Josephine’s thrilling scena “The Hours Creep on Apace” and sailors’ close-harmony trio, “A British Tar Is a Soaring Soul” – not to mention Buttercup’s signature “I’m Called Little Buttercup” and the Bos’n’s patriotic “He Is an Englishman.”
“There’s something for everyone,” Macaluso concludes. “The real secret isn’t what Buttercup reveals at the end, the real secret is the way Gilbert and Sullivan seem to come together so closely that it’s as if the show was penned by one person. H.M.S. Pinafore has been a favorite with American audiences since the day it premiered on these shores, and I think it always will be.”
H.M.S. Pinafore will be presented on Sunday, June 29 at 3 p.m. at the Star Playhouse at Suffolk Y/JCC, at 74 Hauppauge Road in Commack.
Admission is $35 for adults at the door (seniors/students $30), $30 for adults in advance (seniors/students $25). For further information, call (516) 619-7415 or visit https://gaslocoli.org/tickets.
