A TOPSY turvy plot with a rapturous background score is brought to the stage in Barnton next month.

Mid Cheshire Amateur Operatic Society presents the popular Gilbert and Sullivan operetta the Pirates of Penzance, produced by Karen Billinge and Sheila Cranmer-Gordon.

In December 1879, Sullivan had written a letter to his mother about his new work, saying he expected it to be a great success for its comic value.

True to form, the Pirates of Penzance today ranks as one of the most popular pieces of musical theatre around.

It tells the tale of Frederic, played by Martin Roberts, who was born on February 29 in a leap year, and therefore won't be 21 until he's 84.

He is apprenticed to a band of orphaned pirates by his nurse, played by Sheila Cranmer-Gordon.

Her hardness of hearing leads to the comical error of mistaking the instructions of the Pirate King (Jeff Burgess) to send the boy to a pilot.

Frederic eagerly awaits his 21st birthday to mark the release from his indentures, only to learn that his real birth date will mean a lengthier stay with the pirates than he envisaged, much to the disappointment of his beau Mabel, played by Barbara Lewis.

Sullivan may have lost the original score during an ocean voyage and had to recreate all the music from memory, but the harmonies he penned are what truly bring the production alive.

Pirates of Penzance invades Oakwood Lane Theatre, Barnton, from Tuesday, October 11, until Saturday, October 15, at 7.30pm each night.

Tickets, priced £6 (£5 concessions), can be bought from the box office on 01606 871233 or, subject to availability, on the door on the night.