H.M.S. Pinafore
Pinafore had great influence on the development of musical theatre.  According to theatre historian John Kenrick, Pinafore was an international sensation and reshaped the commercial theater in both England and the United States.  Historian John Bush Jones writes that Pinafore and the other [Gilbert and Sullivan] operas show that musical theatre can provide amusement yet address current issues and events. He writes that Pinafore was the first musical to bring together story, song words, and music into a balanced whole.  He adds that the show's popularity produced an American audience for musical theatre, and that the show has served as a model of the musical ever since.