Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore at Jersey Shore Light Opera

The gentlemanly Captain Corcoran of the good ship Pinafore has a daughter, Josephine, who is in love with a lowly but gallant sailor named Ralph Rafe Rackstraw. The Captain forbids the marriage, wanting Josephine to match instead with the well-bred Sir Joseph, First Lord of the Admiralty. In the meantime, the Captain finds himself in nearly the same position as his daughter: his former nanny, Little Buttercup, falls in love with him, but he hesitates to reciprocate due to his higher social rank. The whole situation is turned on its head when Little Buttercup reveals a game-changing secret she has kept for decades.