For those of you whose only source of musical theater is “Flight of the Conchords” on YouTube, “Pirates of Penzance” might be just what you need to remind yourself how fantastic the live version of the genre can be.

That said, “Pirates” is not your ordinary musical theater. Written by Gilbert and Sullivan, the “comic opera” first premiered in New York in 1879. Of course there’s singing and dancing and orchestral accompaniment (all at the same time!), but in some ways, it’s more of a meta-musical: highly self-aware. And that’s where its best humor comes from.

For one, a screen to the left of the stage displays supertitles throughout the show, both to clarify the singer’s lyrics and to provide an omniscient running commentary. As the overture plays, it points out the best aspect of live theater: no five-second delay leaves the door open for “wardrobe malfunctions” (à la Superbowl 2004). At the beginning of Act II, the supertitles greet us as Captain Obvious, saying, “Oh no! The Major-General is crying in the middle of the elaborate and time-consuming set! Let’s find out why.” And as the cast sings the praises of poetry, it scrolls through images of Shakespeare, W.E. Gilbert, Dr. Seuss, and Mos Def.

But I get ahead of myself — what is “Pirates of Penzance” even about? Part cheesy love story, part witty comedy, “Pirates” revolves around Frederic, a noble and strongly moral young man who has finally worked off his apprenticeship to a pirate king. Despite having worked for the Pirates of Penzance his entire life, he is resolved to redeem his soul from a life of sin by “exterminating” the men with whom he once allied himself.

The pirates, however, seem to be rather incompetent for their line of work. They will never fight anyone who is not as strong as they are, nor will they do any harm to orphans — a weakness that ship after ship has noticed. The Pirate King drops Frederic off on a secluded part of the English coast with his nursemaid, who has a strong affection for him but more than doubles his age. On the coast, he meets the Love Interest, Mabel, and her family. But of course, the pirates return, the nursemaid tries to enact a jealous revenge, and nothing is quite as easy as it should be.

I was very impressed with the Stanford Savoyards’ production of “Pirates” — they truly made the musical accessible for everyone, drama geeks and not-so-IHUM kids alike. They also managed to take the comedy to an even higher level by adding refreshing hints of modernity (my favorite being a Pirate vs. Maiden dance-off invoking “Thriller”).

And in case you needed a reminder, Stanford students are talented. The vocalists recruited by the Savoyards are first-rate, and all of the lead actors were spot on. I particularly loved Mabel’s (played by Kimberly Johnson ‘09) deadpan irony, as she held a straight face even when she hit those shockingly high notes to sing inspiring words like, “Go ye heroes, go and die!” The accompanying orchestra was also a highlight of the show, acting as just as much of a character as the rest of the actors.

Of course, “Pirates of Penzance” is still a musical, and I would totally understand if you’d rather sit at home and blog about how you’re “not in the mood” for something so cheerful. But if you do decide to take leave from your fortress of solitude, “Pirates of Penzance” is playing November 9, 10, and 17 at 8 p.m and November 18 at 2:30 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Tickets are only $8 for students and are available online, in White Plaza or at the door.