Live Opera: Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance

Event details

Saturday 1 August 2026

£40 per adult | £20 per child

Chatsworth Friends and Patrons benefit from 10% off tickets to this event. 

Gates open: 6pm
Performance starts: 7pm
Ends: 9.30pm

With the Rose Garden as your backdrop, discover Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta 'The Pirates of Penzance' performed by touring company 'Opera Anywhere'.

Now in their 26th year, Opera Anywhere specialises in relaxed, accessible and joyful performances of popular operas and operettas designed to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. 

About The Pirates of Penzance

The Pirates of Penzance was first performed in 1879 and is one of the best-loved comic operas by the celebrated partnership of librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan.

The work premiered in New York before opening in London, partly to secure copyright, and was an immediate success thanks to its sparkling music, clever wordplay and satirical take on Victorian society.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s collaborations reshaped British musical theatre, blending operatic style with sharp humour and memorable melodies. The Pirates of Penzance remains a firm favourite today.

Storyline

The Pirates of Penzance is a lively comic opera bursting with wit, romance and gloriously absurd twists. As a child, Frederic was mistakenly apprenticed to a band of soft-hearted pirates after his nursemaid misheard instructions that he should be apprenticed to a pilot. Raised at sea, Frederic grows up determined to live an honest and respectable life.

On the day he believes his apprenticeship ends, Frederic falls in love with Mabel, the daughter of the eccentric Major-General Stanley. However, his plans are thrown into chaos when he discovers a technicality: because he was born on 29 February, his contract only expires on his “birthday”, meaning he must return to the pirates. Torn between love and duty, Frederic faces bungling policemen, loyal pirates and a whirlwind of comic misunderstandings before the story races towards a joyful, topsy-turvy conclusion.

With sparkling music, sharp humour and unforgettable characters, The Pirates of Penzance is a feel-good classic that delights audiences of all ages.

Arrival

Please enter via the bottom garden gate, closest to the car park entrance.

Accessibility

The performance takes place on the Salisbury Lawn in front of the Rose Garden. Salisbury Lawn slopes down from the Stables towards the house; however, the performance area is flat. 

Carer tickets

Visitors with disabilities may bring one accompanying carer free of charge when paying for a full-price ticket. Supporting documentation is required at the entrance.

Full details are available on our accessibility page.

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