The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a
comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and
libretto by
W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the
Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences and critics. Its London debut was on 3 April 1880, at the
Opera Comique, where it ran for 363 performances, having already been playing successfully for over three months in New York.