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66% Critic Match
The Pirates of Penzance
6.6 / 10• 1980• 2h 3m•NR• English
MusicComedyAdventureTV Movie
Storyline
As a young child, Frederic had been apprenticed to a pirate by mistake when he should have been apprenticed to a pilot. Now, having reached his 21st year, Frederic's indentures are at last over and he happily leaves the service of the pirates. When Frederic meets the beautiful Mabel, one of the many daughters (or wards in Chancery) of Major-General Stanley, they fall in love and decide to marry. However, complications arise when the pirates decide to marry the rest of the Major-General's daughters, themselves - and Frederic's birthdate turns out to be not all it seems. Filmed live from Central Park prior to the production's transition to Broadway.
Cast & Crew
Kevin Kline
The Pirate King
Lead
Linda Ronstadt
Mabel Stanley
Rex Smith
Frederic
Patricia Routledge
Ruth
Tony Azito
The Sergeant
George Rose
Major-General Stanley
GE
G. Eugene Moose
Samuel, the Pirate King's Lieutenant
Alice Playten
Edith Stanley
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Joshua White's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. The Pirates of Penzance is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
