Founded in 1952 by Orva Hoskinson and Ann Pool MacNab, the Lamplighters specialize in light opera, particularly the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as such works as The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, Of Thee I Sing, My Fair Lady, Candide, and A Little Night Music.
[3] The Mercury News praised the casting in the troupe's 2011 version of The Yeoman of the Guard.
[11][12] In 2016, the troupe's revised version of The Mikado was well-received by critics, who judged that the retelling of the tale in Milan instead of Japan removed elements that have made the original controversial in recent years.
[14] A "sampler" show of elements of multiple comic operas by Gilbert and Sullivan was presented in early 2017, receiving a mixed review by The Mercury News, which praised the performance but called the adaptation, created by the director, overlong at three hours.
[18] In 2019, the Lamplighters produced a spoof: Trial by Jury Duty, paired with Thespis.
The Mercury News said that "Lamplighters Music Theatre knows the works of W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan backwards, forwards, upside down and inside out.
[26] The San Francisco Chronicle review called the company's 2010 production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience, "a splendid and loving production", commenting that the performance "used the company's long experience of the Savoy operettas to fine effect.