The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty, had its official premiere in New York City on December 31, 1879. It was the only Gilbert and Sullivan show to premiere in the USA.
The reason for the NYC premiere is that G&S’s previous show, HMS Pinafore, had been pirated (haha) by quite a lot of companies in the United States. Giving a performance in New York allowed G&S to secure a US copyright for the work.
Another production of Pirates took place one day earlier in order for G&S to secure a British copyright on the show as well. That performance took place at the Royal Bijou Theater. It was basically and unrehearsed read-through of the show by the D’Oly Carte touring company, who were on the road doing HMS Pinafore.1
They showed up in their Pinafore costumes to sing this British “premiere.” (Close enough)
