Pinafore and Mikado were tremendously, massively successful here when first produced. Pinfaore was a sensation. In the 1870s, a five-month run was enormous. I'm not an expert on the history of G and S here. In fact, I'm not really a fan. But when you look at ibdb without historical context, what you see there can be misleading, especially without background info.
For instance, Pirates played around three months in its first production here, but it was here as a limited engagement of the D'Oyley Carte. It was such a sensation that ads warned buyers against ticket speculators. Then it toured, but the company also had to get back to London. Pirates was in demand everywhere, but there were copyright issues. I think perhaps D'Oyley Carte did not want to allow American productions. Perhaps someone who knows more can chime in.
Later G and S was generally seen here in repertory for limited runs from companies, including D'Oyley Carte, that specialized in or were even exclusively devoted to G and S. Often, the limited New York seasons, whether D'Oyley Carte or home-grown, were packed, and these companies also toured. |
