Pirates Mania Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mr D'Oyly Carte's Company

Richard D'Oyly Carte formed a new partnership with William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan following problems with the directors of "The Comedy Opera Company" over "HMS Pinafore" which opened in 1878. Further productions were billed under the name "Mr D'Oyly Carte's Company" The name was finally changed to "The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company" in 1889.

This was after "The Pirates of Penzance" first opened.

Answer: 30th December 1879, Bijou Theatre, Paignton

Following pirating problems of "HMS Pinafore" in 1878 Richard D'Oyly Carte and his partners William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan decided to have a single performance of the next opera in England to ensure English copyright. It was this reason "The Pirates of Penzance" was performed at the Bijou Theatre in Paignton the day before it was to open in New York at the Fifth Avenue Theatre.

This single English Performance ran the same night as "HMS Pinafore" at the Opera-Comique.

Answer: Pilot

"To take and bind the promising boy Apprentice to a pilot". Sadly Ruth being "Hard of Hearing" she misunderstood and thus apprenticed him to a pirate! "A sad mistake it was to make, And doom him to a vile lot." (Act 1, second song "When Fred'ric was a Little Lad")

Answer: Ruth

In fact Ruth is the only female in the show who is not one of his Major-General Stanley's daughters; the entire female chorus are all his children.

Answer: strayed, one

This is Mabel's first Air for the Opera. Mabel is singing of her duty to give Frederic her heart to satisfy his needs. "If such poor love as mine, can help thee find, true piece of mind, why take it it is thine." (Act 1, eighth song "Poor Wand'ring One") Frederic has never seen a female other then Ruth and he is therefore blown away by the beauty of Major-General Stanley's daughters. Mabel enjoys the beauty of Frederic, but the other girls believe he is vile, as he is dressed as a pirate.

Answer: 29th February

Frederic was born in a leap year. This is not discovered until Act Two in the fourth song, "Now for the Pirates Lair!". In this song the Pirate King tells Frederic that he is "The victim of this clumsy arrangement, having been born in leap-year, on the twenty-ninth day of Feburary, And so, by a simple arithmetical process, you'll easily discover, That tho' you've lived twenty-one years, if we go by birthdays, you're only five and a little bit".

This information bears with it the knowledge that Frederic will not finish being bound to the pirates until the year 1940.

Answer: Mabel and Frederic

Very simple question ~ Frederic asks for "One maiden breast" to feel the "moral beauty of making wordly interest subordinate to sense of duty." The girls all say no to this request of Frederic's except Mabel, who believes it is her moral duty to help the young man "find true piece of mind" and therefore gives her heart to him.
(Act 1, songs seven and eight, "Oh, is there not one maiden breast" and "Poor Wand'ring One")

Answer: True

As all the pirates are orphans, anyone who claims to be an orphan will not be attacked. The Pirates of Penzance therefore never actually attack anyone because everyone they try to attack claims to be without parents and must therefore be left alone.

Answer: model

"I am the very model of a modern Major-General; I've information vegetable, animal and mineral..." etc. etc. Everyone should know this song, especially Simpsons fanatics. Remember when Homer and Barney are competing to see who goes into space? Barney does some tumbling whilst reciting the words to this song! (Act 1, thirteenth song, "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General")

Answer: HMS Pinafore

"I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din a fore, And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense, Pinafore!"
"The Mikado", "Iolanthe" and "The Gondoliers" were all written after "The Pirates of Penzance". (Act 1, thirteenth song, "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General")

Answer: The policemen

This song is the third one for the second act. The policeman come in the chorus singing "tarantara". Mabel tells them to go to battle and be prepared to die against the pirates.

Answer: True

Samuel is the Pirate King's Lieutenant.

Answer: name

The duet, "Stay Fred'ric stay", sung by Mabel and Frederic at the beginning of Act 2, is just after Frederic finds out that he has only had five birthdays, having been born on February 29, rather than 21, and must serve the pirates until 1940 (some 50 years into the future).

Answer: steal

"With Cat-Like Tread" is sung by Samuel, the chorus of pirates and the chorus of policemen! The pirates are breaking in to Major-General Stanley's home after hearing from Frederic that he is not an orphan and never was one! The policemen are there to fight the pirates on the comand of Mabel who feels it is her duty to stop Frederic from doing his duty!

Answer: Because they are noblemen gone wrong

"They are all noblemen gone wrong...we love our House of Peers; I pray you pardon me, ex-Pirate King!...Resume your ranks, and legislative duties, And take my daughters, all of whom are beauties." Yes it is true in the final song of the show the pirates are given the Major-General's daughters to wed because they really are noblemen!
(Act 2, fourteenth song, "Sighing Softly to the River")