The first appearance of Pirates of Penzance in Scotland was at the Royalty to give audiences an alternative to the ubiquitous pantomimes. Performances ran through the Christmas and New Year period until it transferred to Edinburgh on 17 January. The earlier successes from this source - The Sorcerer and HMS Pinafore - had already toured twice to the other cities, but Dundee and Aberdeen didn't see Pirates until the second tour in 1882.
Touring productions were about to become more elaborate, due to the constant improvements in rail transport, but at this time they were still very basic. The scenery was supplied by the host theatre - in this case the ruined chapel by moonlight seems to have been even more successful than the Cornish beach. Most of the costumes were brought by the touring company.
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