Westport Country Playhouse will present “The Pirates of Penzance in One Act and An Evening of Gilbert and Sullivan Favorites,” from New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, a sextet of vocalists accompanied by piano, for two performances on Friday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, June 29, at 2 p.m.
“Unleash your inner pirate and set sail for a fun-filled night of romance, comedy, and adventure!,” said Mark Shanahan, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. “This rollicking masterpiece of musical theatre, ‘The Pirates of Penzance,’ is performed in an abridged version by the renowned New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, delivering the famous music that has made this work so beloved, infused with a modern sense of humor well-suited to anyone experiencing the show for the first time. The second act highlights all of the favorite Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas.”
“The Pirates of Penzance,” abridged in one act, takes the audience to the coast of Cornwall, where a band of tenderhearted pirates celebrates the coming of age of Frederic, who was mistakenly apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday. Now, Frederic has vowed to devote his life to the extermination of piracy – until a ludicrous leap-year snag threatens to keep him apprenticed to the pirates for life! Throw in a brash Pirate King and the delightfully stuffy Major-General Stanley. The show’s second act features a potpourri of the most popular songs in the Gilbert & Sullivan canon, from “The Mikado,” “The Gondoliers,” “Iolanthe,” and other operas, along with an impromptu audience request segment.
“I feel that our company takes these 150-year-old gems and breathes new life into them,” said James Mills, associate artistic director of New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players. “We take great pride in preserving the legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan while infusing a contemporary energy and sensibility that excites audiences both young and old.”
New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) is a professional repertory company giving vitality to the living legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan through performance and education. Now in its 49th year of operation, NYGASP is America’s preeminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory ensemble. Under the dynamic leadership of artistic director Albert Bergeret, who has been hailed as “the leading custodian of the G&S classics” by New York Magazine, NYGASP has created its own special niche in the cultural mosaic of New York City and the nation. Since its founding in 1974, the company has presented over 3,000 performances of the G&S masterpieces throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K., captivating audiences of all ages.
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Tickets are $50, $60, and $70. Running time is approximately two hours, including one 15 minute intermission. Appropriate for age seven and up.
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