HMS Pinafore

dance-and-opera

Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera HMS PINAFORE is returning to the London Coliseum.

All aboard HMS PINAFORE for this hilarious revival of Gilbert & Sullivan’s nautical love triangle, where the comic opera duo navigate the tricky waters of class, rank, patriotism and power, in their signature slapstick style.

This laugh-out-loud opera is set aboard the Royal Navy warship HMS PINAFORE. And while the ship remains anchored in Portsmouth, it didn’t stop the opera reaching international shores and becoming the first of Gilbert & Sullivan’s operas to find global success. Following its premiere in 2021, this Cal McCrystal production was nominated for an Olivier Award for Set and Costume Design in the Outstanding Achievement in Opera category.

With its fast pace, topical humour and quintessential Britishness, the score includes some of the most popular operatic music in the world, enjoyed both on stage and featuring in popular TV shows like The Simpsons and The West Wing. If quick-fire humour floats your boat, we think you’ll love HMS PINAFORE.

Following his success in The Yeomen of the Guard and Così fan tutte, award-winning British bass baritone Neal Davis returns to ENO to play the Rt. Hon Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Neal is joined on board by ENO-favourite and G&S expert John Savournin who reprises the role of Captain Corcoran, while his daughter Josephine is played by Harewood Artist Henna Mun. The love triangle is completed by able-seaman Ralph Rackstraw played by Thomas Atkins fresh from his successful performance as Nemorino in ENO’s 2024 production of The Elixir of Love.

This first revival of a much-loved comedic tale is directed by theatre director and actor Cal McCrystal and conducted by Matthew Kofi Waldren, former Mackerras Conducting Fellow who previously conducted ENO’s Olivier Award-nominated production of Blue.

Book your HMS PINAFORE theatre tickets with LOVEtheatre today!

What is HMS Pinafore about?

Join Captain Corcoran and his daughter Josephine as she faces a battle between duty and love on the high seas. While her father makes plans for her to tie the knot with the suitably ranked First Lord of the Admiralty, Josephine has romantic ideas of her own. And after falling for lowly deckhand Ralph, the loved-up pair make plans to elope. That is, until a surprise revelation rocks the boat.

Ticket information

Tickets available for performances from 4 Dec 2025 – 7 Feb 2026

Running Time

2hrs 15mins (incl. interval)

Cast & Creatives

Neal Davis (the Rt. Hon Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty), John Savournin (Captain Corcoran), Henna Mun (Josephine),  Thomas Atkins (Ralph Rackstraw).

Cal McCrystal (Director), Matthew Kofi Waldren (Conductor)

Language
Sung in English. Our surtitles system displays sung words above the stage.

Suitable for all ages.

Booking Period

4 Dec 2025 - 7 Feb 2026

For group bookings of 10 or more:
Submit a request online

Or call 020 7206 1176

Venue Information

London Coliseum

St Martin's Ln, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4ES

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Nearest Tube/Rail Station

Leicester Square or Charing Cross

Buses

3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22, 23, 24, 29, 38, 88, 91, 94, 139, 159, 176, 453

Nearest Car Parks

Trafalgar Square, Whitcomb Street and Bedfordbury.