Pirates!, a new dance musical that re-imagines Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, is set to debut in the U.K. in 2019. The show is conceived, directed, and choreographed by Daryl Gray, who began his career as an actor and dancer (Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ on Broadway), later transitioning into directing and choreographing.

Pirates! will be produced in the U.K. by Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman and New Level Productions, with Julian Stoneman as executive producer. The show is billed as a danced-through musical, and will feature new arrangements and orchestrations by Grammy Award winner Steve Sidwell.

Pirates! will be designed by Morgan Large, with lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound by Terry Jardine and Luke Swaffield for Autograph Sound. Casting is by Gabrielle Dawes, CDG.

A cast and further details will be announced at a later date.

In The Pirates of Penzance, young pirate apprentice Frederic has turned 21 and thus completed his apprenticeship to a band of kindhearted pirates. At the same time, he falls for Mabel, the daughter of law-enforcer Major General Stanley, and the enemy of the pirates. To add to his problems, he learns that because he was born during a leap year, his apprenticeship is technically far from over.

As well as directing and choreographing for musical theatre, Gray has created original works for Joffrey, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and American Ballet Theater Workshop. His choreography has also been featured by NY City Opera, Live From Lincoln Center PBS TV, Béjart Ballet of the 20th Century, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, and Batsheva Dance Company of Israel, among others.