Character Descriptions and Casting Breakdown and Song List Printable Version
Daisy: orphaned daughter of Buttercup and Captain Corcoran, she is the heroine of the story. Adopted by the Paragonian Islanders, she is a spitfire of a girl, high-spirited and outspoken. Daisy enlists the help of the famous characters from the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas to defeat the Pinafore Pirates and save the Paragonians. She sings Daughter of Buttercup, Three Determined Ladies, Poor Static One, and Love’s Young Dream. (The choice of costume for Daisy may range from the traditional to her own personal vision, created from the two cultures, that of mother or father and that of her adopted tribe, the Paragonians.)
Christopher: the young, handsome beau of Daisy. He is the quintessential young romantic hero of classic opera and Shakespeare. Son to the Chief of Paragonia, he is captured by the Pinafore Pirates and held hostage until later being rescued and reunited with Daisy. He sings The Anguish of Love, Calm Seas, Ribbic!, and Love’s Young Dream.
The Pirate Queen: the brazen leader of the Pinafore Pirates, she will stop at nothing to manage success for her pirate crew. She is bold and gutsy, brave and determined. She is the strongest of the female characters and must act, sing and dance. She sings Pinafore Pirates, The Pirate Queen, Calm Seas, Land Ho!, and Damsels in Distress. (She is the quintessential Pirate Queen, representing all heroines, with a flair for the theatrical and dramatic)
Sam O’Nella: the Irish cook who serves the Pirate Queen and her Pinafore Pirates. A comedic tour-de-force for a character actor who sings, he is good-natured and quick-witted. He sings Irish Stew, Sam’s Ribbic!, and Pretty Ladies. (Sam’s costume is based upon a traditional British seaman, adapted to his role on board a ship of pirate-women.)
Nanette: a clumsy fairy with a delightful sense of humor. A physically comedic force, she sings in all of the fairy songs. Like all fairies, she is invisible to humans. (Her costume reflects her own unique personality.)
The Magniloquent Seven
Iolanthe: (pronounced eye-ohl-lahn-thee) is the Queen of the Fairies. She is half mortal, and thus can be seen by humans. She and her band of fairies join Daisy in her quest to save Christopher and the people of Paragonia. She sings Processional March & Recitative, Fair Days, Three Determined Ladies and Protocol.
Princess Ida: a princess and a scholar, she founded The Princess Ida Academy and is a role model for all determined young ladies who aspire to heroic adventures. She is summoned by Iolanthe to join Daisy’s fight. She sings Princess Ida, Three Determined Ladies, and Protocol.
Admiral Sir Joseph Porter: originally from G & S’s HMS Pinafore. He is a Royal Naval Commander of the highest order. Although retired, he longs for the open sea and the battles he experienced while serving in her majesty’s navy. He sings Admirable Admiral, The Ultimate Patter Song, and Protocol.
The Great Mikado: originally from G & S’s The Mikado. A Martial arts master and Samurai from Japan, the Mikado is one of the greatest fighters ever. Currently without a master, as a ronin, he is a sword-for-hire. He sings The Great Mikado, The Ultimate Patter Song, and Protocol.
John Wellington Wells, the Sorcerer: from the opera The Sorcerer. He is a Cockney bloke who can perform magic and conjure spells. His power lies in the magic he can create or the imaginary spirits he can conjure. He sings Sorcerer, The Ultimate Patter Song, and Protocol.
The Duke of Plaza-Toro: from G & S’s The Gondoliers. Taken from the age of the Spanish Conquest, the Duke is a well-bred nobleman in the tradition of bull-fighters and fencing masters. He sings Spanish Grandee, The Ultimate Patter Song, and Protocol.
The Major-General Stanley: a very famous character from G & S’s The Pirates of Penzance, he is a retired military general from the Scottish Highlander tradition, once a warrior in India. He sings Educated Major-General, The Ultimate Patter Song, and Protocol.
The Company (The number of characters in each group is yet to be determined.)
The Pinafore Pirates: A group of well-bred ladies turned pirates. All shapes, sizes, attitudes, and specialties, each of these characters represents a different culture where young ladies longed for the same adventures as young men who went to sea for adventure and a fortune. Assorted lines. Sing Pinafore Pirates, The Pirate Queen, The Anguish of Love, Irish Stew, Calm Seas, Land Ho!, and Damsels in Distress. (Multiple cultural perspectives in costuming.)
The Fairies: A classic assortment of woodland fairies, invisible to humans and led by the Fairy Queen, Iolanthe. Each fairy has traveled the world and found a time and place where they long to live. Assorted lines. Sing Fairy Feet, Processional March & Recitative, Three Determined Ladies, and Protocol Piracy. (Multiple cultural perspectives in costuming.)
The Paragonia Islanders: The men, women, and children of Daisy and Christopher’s island.
The island is located somewhere in the Caribbean and being on the trade routes for ships of all navies, they have been influenced by various cultures, from Africa to South America.
Assorted lines. They sing Paragonia, Daughter of Buttercup, Protocol, and Protocol Piracy.
(The island and its people need to be defined more specifically to incorporate an island culture in the southern hemisphere.)
The British Bobbies: a group of traditional English Policemen or “bobbies” who are enlisted by Major General Stanley to help defeat the pirates in the final scene. They sing The British Policemen and Protocol Piracy. (These keepers of the law may have a Universalist appearance, but it is not ordained that they be modern Bobbies)