The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert & Sullivan

Photo Gallery

 

Photographer: Denny Wells

Performance Dates

Friday, October 21, 2022 @ 8 PM – Discovery Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, October 22, 2022 @ 8 PM – Discovery Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Sunday, October 23, 2022 @ 4 PM – Discovery Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

About The Pirates of Penzance

“Ahoy, Matey! Yo Ho Ho! Aarrgghh!”

Toss your worries overboard and set sail for swashbuckling adventure with softhearted buccaneers, dewy-eyed damsels, bumbling British bobbies and “the very model of a modern Major General”. Gilbert and Sullivan’s hilarious, hopeful farce is an action-packed musical romp, overflowing with memorable tunes, tongue-twisting texts and jaunty dances. Chart a course for this fun-filled voyage perfect for the whole family. The Pirates of Penzance – they’ll steal your heart away!

In English with English Supertitles

Synopsis

ACT I – A rocky seashore on the coast of Cornwall

The pirates offer a toast to Frederic. Now that Frederic is twenty-one and his apprenticeship is over, the men assume that he will join their band permanently. Ruth, a ‘piratical maid of all work’, explains that, as Frederic’s nursery maid, she had been instructed by his father to have the small boy apprenticed to a pilot, but she misheard and instead took Frederic to a pirate. Her shame upon realizing her error led her to join the pirate band herself.

Now that his obligation to the pirates has ended, duty compels Frederic to devote himself to destroying them. When the men admit their inability to make piracy pay, Frederic explains that they are themselves slaves to their tender hearts, particularly regarding their refusal to take advantage of anyone they believe to be an orphan.

Ruth longs for Frederic to take her with him when he leaves. He has never had an opportunity to compare her with other women, but when he decides that she should remain with the pirates, they reply that they cannot deprive him of his beloved. Frederic wishes he could bring the pirates back to a respectable life, but the Pirate King rejects that possibility. Alone with Ruth, Frederic admits his reluctance to marry her, though he is satisfied that, despite her age, she is beautiful. But when he sees a group of lovely young women approaching, he rages at her for deceiving him.

The girls descend to the shore, delighting in their surroundings. They are astonished to encounter Frederic and horrified to hear that he is a pirate. He assures them that, having just abandoned that profession, he now wants only to love one of them. They all reject him except Mabel, who reproaches her sisters for being deaf to pity. The girls distract themselves, so that Frederic and Mabel can have a few moments alone. The pirates suddenly surprise the girls and anticipate soon becoming their husbands. Mabel reminds them that their father is a major‑general. The Major‑General enters and objects to the girls being married against their wills to pirates. He lies his way out of the situation by claiming to be an orphan. The girls are released from the pirates’ clutches, as Mabel and Frederic – ignoring the pleas of Ruth – look forward to their marriage.

ACT II – On Major-General Stanley’s estate: a ruined chapel by moonlight

The girls comfort the Major-General, who is upset because he believes his lie has shamed the family name and he fears the consequences. Frederic will soon march against the pirates accompanied by the police, who now arrive. They eventually leave to attend to the business at hand, but only after repeated urging by the Major‑General.

Alone, Frederic contemplates atoning for his years with the pirates. Ruth and the Pirate King enter. They explain that Frederic was to be apprenticed until his twenty‑first birthday; having been born in a leap year on 29 February, he is officially only five. The Pirate King insists that Frederic respect his own sense of duty, whereupon the obedient young man informs him that the Major‑General lied about being an orphan. The Pirate King and Ruth swear vengeance.

Frederic informs Mabel that he will not reach his twenty-first birthday until 1940. Convinced that he can ignore the pirates’ claim, she begs him to remain with her and swears to be faithful, even though he is a slave of duty and feels compelled to re-join the pirates. After he leaves, Mabel tells the policemen that Frederic has returned to the pirates, praising him for his sense of duty. The Sergeant laments the difficulties the constabulary faces. The policemen hide as soon as the pirates arrive. Afflicted by insomnia, the Major‑General enters. The girls chide him for leaving his bed so late at night. Frederic and the pirates seize the Major‑General and overcome the police. When the Sergeant implores the pirates to yield in the Queen’s name, Ruth reveals that they are in fact peers of the realm. With this revelation, they are pardoned by the Major-General, who rewards them with the girls’ hands in marriage.

Free Pre-Opera Talks

Plan to join us one hour before each performance of The Pirates of Penzance  to learn the interesting background, tidbits of information and fascinating insights into this laugh out loud Gilbert & Sullivan favorite. We are proud to present our colleague in the arts, Michael Jungreis, as your Pre-Opera Talk Host for The Pirates of Penzance. Michael is well-known to Anchorage audiences as the host of KLEF’s “Saturday Night at the Opera”.
Friday, Oct 21, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, Oct 22, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 23, 2022 at 3:00 pm

Free Student Final Dress Rehearsal

Anchorage Opera would like to open the final dress rehearsal to K-12 students at no cost for our production of The Pirates of Penzance  by Gilbert & Sullivan on Oct 19, 2022 at 7:00 pm performed in English with projected Supertitles in English. (Date & time subject to change). Seating is limited. We will do our best to accommodate any K-12 student that would like to come, however some parties may receive fewer tickets than requested based on availability.

Please contact Kaylee Wagle at 907-279-2557 or email kwagle@anchorageopera.org to request your vouchers.

As this is a coveted event for many schools in the Anchorage area, please do not request more tickets than you will use. If you are promised a certain number of tickets and find you will not be able to use them all, please contact us as soon as possible so that people on the wait list can be notified and make arrangements to attend.

‘Aaargh’ you ready to have even more fun? We invite students, teachers and chaperones to “Dress Like a Pirate” when they come to the show! The stage will be set with our PHOTO OP-era Booth in the lobby for kids of all ages to step into and “channel your inner PIRATE”!
Please note: no weapons (fake or otherwise) will be allowed in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.

 

We hope to see a full house of  K-12 Students there! BRAVO

Cast

Production Team


Kate Bass – Mabel


Curt Olds – Pirate King


Andy PapasMajor-General Stanley


Christabel SosaEdith


Cady Lynn O’BrienIsabel


Charlie Tingen – Frederic


Jenni BankRuth


Kyle Gantz, Sergeant of Police


Kathryn StrockKate


Phil CheasebroSamuel


Brian DeMaris, AO Principal Conductor


Elle JanecekCostume, Hair & Makeup Designer

Brighton Coggins – Costume Assistant
Colleen Metzger – Costume Assistant


Richard GordonChorus Master/Rehearsal Accompanist


Allison Grant, Stage Director


Cedar CussinsCo-Lighting Designer

Sean Amato, Co-Lighting Designer

Cleo PettittSet Designer


Helen Irene MullerStage Manager

Kat BannerAssistant Stage Manager