Pirates of Penzance is the only G&S that I’ve seen performed live. It was a college theater production.
I enjoyed it. Theres some good music. A bit dated but fun.
Weird poll. Theres no yes I enjoyed it?
I’m on the fence about G&S – enjoy the operettas in a lukewarm sort of way, but am not a passionate fan. I find many of the tunes lovely (though I know that there are music aficionados who consider it lame and “philistine” to enjoy nice tunes); but I feel a lot of the word-content to be rather weak and laboured. Some of the satire is dated and no longer applicable; some deals with timeless themes.
I get more pleasure from Gilbert’s “Bab Ballads” – copious comic verse, with no goal of trying to improve people or ridicule their bad / foolish conduct: the “Ballads” just strike me as gloriously and delightfully silly, purely for the sake of being silly.
I think your poll leaves a lot to be desired. Put me down as somebody who still loves G&S. While they may be dated I still agree with most of “I’ve got a little list”.
I don’t love them, but have performed in many of the shows. Their popularity has not waned a bit, as far as I can tell. College and community theatres perform their works on a very regular basis. And they are enjoyed by both Liberals and Conserva-tives.
I belonged to my university’s G&S group when I was a student, and stayed in the group after I graduated. I remain a member to this day (playing in the orchestra.)
When I was stationed at The Presidio of Monterey, in 1974-1975, a local theater group put on a parody of HMS Pinafore, titled FSS Trekstar.
Spock did the “Modern Major General” song. “And I never never mess with girls!!!”
*“What never?”
“Well, almost never.”*
And the show opener began:
“We boldly go where men
Have never gone before us…”
The whole thing was hilarious, and I really wish I’d brought a tape recorder.(Remember, this is the mid-70’s)
I love them, and they are still performed reasonably often in the San Francisco area. There’s a troupe called the Lamplighters that specializes in them, they usually do two of their shows every year. Also the Stanford Savoyards. And by total coincidence I went to a youth theater production of *The Pirates of Penzance *just a couple of days ago!
In that case I love you. If you play viola or trumpet, I want to marry you. (In every show I did, I was the music director. Getting a good orchestra together was like pulling teeth.)
In my last post I made an error and was too late to correct it.
It was Kirk who did the captains lines of course, only in this version it was about girls.
[quote=“Baker, post:46, topic:658711”]
Spock did the “Modern Major General” song. “And I never never mess with girls!!!”
*“What never?”
“Well, almost never.”*
May I nitpick? Those lyrics belong to I am the Captain of the Pinafore.
I’m wondering how many adult Americans even know who G&S were.
A few weeks ago I was talking to someone about how I’m a musician. When she asked me more about it, I mentioned Gilbert and Sullivan. “Are they a local band?”, she asked. It took a lot of self-restraint not to burst out in laughter. My jaw did drop, though.
tdn, see the post directly above yours.
I think your perception of their popularity has a lot to do with location. On the East coast, they are a lot more popular, but as far as I know, there are only two groups performing G&G in the greater Chicago area, and each only does one production a year - the Evanston Light Opera and the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company at the University of Chicago.
I saw the latter’s 2008 production of Iolanthe, and the majority of the cast were well past the age of retirement.
I play clarinet. I did play the viola part on the clarinet for two of my years in the group, because we were short a violist. Good times. 
I am the very model of a modern major GS Fan
I’ve seen the shows and bought the record
I know the lyric back to front,I am a committed GS man
From work to home and back again, GS blares from my old ford
I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters Gilbertonian
I understand the pun, both the simple and Sulivanial
About inside joke I’m teeming with a lot o’ news
With many cheerful facts that I would not share with the like of yous
With many cheerful facts he would not share with the like of yous
With many cheerful facts he would not share with the like of yous
With many cheerful facts he would not share with the like of yous
With many cheerful facts he would not share avec de vous
I’m very good at history and victorian society
I know the popular slang of citizens Albionious
In short, of opera light , like Gilbert and Sullivan
I am the very model of a modern major GS Fan
In short, of Opera light, like Gilbert and Sullivan
He is the very model of a modern major GS Fan
I know my music history history, From Primal to the Minimalist
Duke Ellington, or Laurie Anderson, I may be an esoterosist
I make with parody lyrics a tribute to some great men
Who would wipe the floor with my tripe, and then do it all once again
I can tell a Classic from a fad when I hum its tunes all day long
Unlike the croaking chorus from the modern gansta rap star song
Then I can not slay kill the earworm, that cerebrally sings at my core
And blasts me all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And blasts me all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And blasts me all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And blasts me all all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinapinafore
Then I can write a parody in Sulllivanic pentameter
And tell youwhat the points of Gillbert’s puns is fer
In short, in matters of Gilbert or of Sullivan
I am the very model of a modern Major-GS Fan
In short, in matters of Gilbert or of Sullivan
He is the very model of a modern Major-GS Fan
My Apologies…