The Bishops Palace Wells – Outdoor Theatre. Illyria – The Pirates of Penzance
Illyria – Pirates of Penzance
11th September 2026 at 6.30pm
Performed by a six-strong cast of actors and singers with fully orchestrated accompaniment, The Pirates of Penzance boasts such gloriously memorable songs as “To be a Pirate King!”; “Modern Major General” and “A Policeman’s Lot is Not a Happy One”. With razor sharp satire and glittering wit, it remains as fresh as if it had been written today.
Frederick, accidentally apprenticed to pirates as a child, is indentured to the Pirate King until his 21st birthday. On the day he reaches 21, he leaves the ship, announcing that he now intends to dedicate his life to the pirates’ destruction. The Pirate King checks the contract’s small print and realises that, because Frederick was born on 29th February in a leap year, he has only had four birthdays and is therefore indentured for a further 63 years.
With only the Penzance constabulary to protect him, will Frederick be forced to serve the pirates until he is 84? And will his sweetheart, Mabel, wait for him that long?
This event takes place on the following dates
11 September 2026, 6:30 pm