Arthur Sullivan

The opera was performed at Moray Lodge in Kensington on 26 May 1866, following a rehearsal at Burnand's home.

A performance took place at Moray Lodge in Kensington, the home of Arthur James Lewis.

First public performance of Cox and Box at the Adelphi Theatre in London, featuring amateur actors.

The opera was repeated at the Royal Gallery of Illustration in Regent Street shortly after the Adelphi debut.

A charity performance in Manchester featured the overture for the first time.

Thespis, the first Gilbert and Sullivan opera, premièred in London on 26 December 1871, commissioned by John Hollingshead as a holiday piece.

H.M.S. Pinafore opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, conducted by Sullivan before an enthusiastic audience.

The opera completed its initial run of 571 performances on 20 February 1880, marking the second-longest run in musical theatre history at that time.

Carte mounted a children's version of Pinafore with a juvenile cast, beginning matinees at the Opera Comique on 16 December 1879.

A perfunctory performance in Paignton secured British copyright before the New York premiere, organized by Helen Lenoir.

The official premiere occurred at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City, receiving positive critical and audience reception.

Carte required a new opera within six months, triggering the creative process for The Mikado.

The parties reached a stalemate, broken when Gilbert proposed a plot free of supernatural elements.

Company members and others who witnessed the dress rehearsal begged Gilbert and Sullivan to restore a cut solo.

The opera opened at the Savoy Theatre in London, beginning a historic run.

Sullivan conducted the opening performance on 5 January 1884, collapsing from exhaustion immediately afterwards due to gruelling rehearsals.

After the premiere, Sullivan resolved to write no more Savoy pieces; flagging receipts prompted Carte to require a new opera, and a stalemate over a supernatural plot element was resolved on 20 May 1884.