By W.S Gilbert & A. Sullivan
Synopsis
High spirits prevail aboard HMS Pinafore but Ralph Rackstraw's mind, however, is on Josephine. He is in love with her even though she is socially unattainable. Unaware of his affection for her, Josephine is in love with Ralph but pride prevents her from revealing this because of his low station. Josephine, meanwhile, is sought in marriage by Sir Joseph Porter whose advances she refuses to acknowledge. Sir Joseph holds strong views about the treatment of sailors. He maintains that a British sailor is any man's equal (excepting his own), and should always be treated with politeness without recourse to bad language or abuse. This inspires Ralph to declare his love to Josephine who soon forgets her price and confesses her true feelings to him. Plans are quickly made to smuggle the couple ashore that night to be married. The only crew member who is not happy at the news is Dick Deadeye. He betrays their intentions to the Captain and they are caught before they can leave the ship. Furious at Ralph's actions, the Captain swears an oath at him which is, unfortunately, overheard by Sir Joseph. He is appalled at such an outburst and turns to Ralph for an explanation. Unfortunately, Ralph only makes matters worse by revealing that he is in love with Josephine. The situation is saved by Little Buttercup who intervenes to confess how, in her youth, she had fostered two babies from opposite ends of the social ladder. In the course of caring for them she had mixed them up. The baby from the poor background was Captain Corcoran and the other was Ralph. Upon hearing this, Sir Joseph immediately loses all interest in Josephine and gladly resigns her to Ralph, now Captain Rackstraw.
Cast
If you can fill in any of the cast or production gaps below - please let us know as we are having difficulty remembering everyone that was involved and can't find a programme to check!
| The Rt. Hon Sir Joseph Porter, KCB (First Lord of the Admiralty) | David Wakeford |
| Captain Corcoran (Commanding HMS Pinafore) | Kevin Morgan |
| Ralph Rackstraw (Able Seaman) | Mike Gaccon |
| Dick Deadeye (Able Seaman) | Bernard Gardner |
| Josephine (The Captain's Daughter) | Clare Jones |
| Hebe (Sir Joseph's First Cousin) | |
| Little Buttercup (A Portsmouth Bumboat Woman) | Janet Holloway |
| Bosun | Colin Jardine |
| John Tomala | |
| leigh Tomala |
Production & Backstage
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Musical Numbers
Act 1
| We Sail The Ocean Blue | Chorus |
| I'm Called Little Buttercup | Little Buttercup |
| The Nightingale | Ralph |
| I Am The Captain Of The Pinafore | Captain Corcoran, Chorus |
| Sorry Her Lot | Josephine |
| Barcarolle - Sir Joseph's Barge Is Seen | Chorus |
| I Am The Monarch Of The Sea | Sir Joseph Porter, Cousin Hebe, Chorus |
| When I Was A Lad | Sir Joseph Porter, Chorus |
| Glee - A British Tar | Ralph, Boatswain, Mate and Chorus |
| Refrain Audacious Tar | Josephine and Ralph |
| Finale Act I | Company |
Act 2
| Fair Moon, To Thee I Sing | Captain |
| Things Are Seldom What They Seem | Little Buttercup and Captain |
| The Hours Creep On Apace | Josephine |
| Never Mind The Why And Wherefore | Josephine, Captain Corcoran, Sir Joseph Porter |
| Kind Captain, I've Important Information | Captain and Dick Deadeye |
| Carefully On Tip-Toe Stealing | Ensemble |
| Octet - Farewell, My Own | |
| A Many Years Ago | Little Buttercup |
| Quartet and Finale Act II - Oh Joy, Oh Rapture Unforeseen | Josephine, Hebe, Ralph and Deadeye Dick - and company |
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