Die Piraten von Penzance

Operetta by Arthur Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert

Textadaption- und überschreibung von Jennifer Gisela Weiss

In German and English language with German and English surtitles

In the 19th century, Penzance was one of the most idyllic and peaceful little towns on the British isle. Pirates... here?! The kings of English operetta, the writing duo Gilbert & Sullivan, had a knack for humorously subverting their audience’s expectations. With this satirical and subversive “recipe,” they created one hit after another.

The rather absurd plot of The Pirates of Penzance would have done proud even to the British humor of Monty Python back in the 19th century: A young man is not trained as a pilot, but instead apprenticed to the Pirates of Penzance because his hard-of-hearing governess confuses the words “pilot” and “pirate.” Upon turning 21, Frederic should have completed his apprenticeship—if only he hadn’t been born in a leap year! According to pirate logic, that makes him just five years old… From this existential dilemma unfolds a love story between the young pirate apprentice and Mabel, a young lady from the British military aristocracy...

The physical comedy duo Spymonkey scored a hit with Orpheus in the Underworld at the Volksoper, winning over both audience and critics. With The Pirates of Penzance, they turn their attention to the most British of all operettas!

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To set the mood for the performance, we warmly recommend the following event to all visitors of The Pirates of Penzance:

• Very British!
  An evening about British humor
  on March 30, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in the Balcony Foyer