HMS Pinafore

About

HMS Pinafore, also known as The Lass That Loved a Sailor, is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W.S. Gilbert. Set on the British ship HMS Pinafore, the production follows the story of the captain's daughter Josephine and Ralph Rackstraw, the lower class sailor she falls in love with. Driven forward by lighthearted comedy, HMS Pinafore offers a critique of patriotism, political parties and the rise of unqualified people into authoritative positions, particularly in the class-driven society of 19th century England, when the opera originally premiered.