Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, presented by the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is vivid and hilarious storytelling at its finest. The beautiful music, witty characters, spectacular sets, incredible costumes, drama, laugh-out-loud comedy, and vocal artistry—make this a performance you won’t want to miss!
The Pirates of Penzance is about a Pirate King and a modern Major-General from two very different worlds, but these characters are only the beginning. As the story unfolds, audiences are smitten with Frederick, an apprentice indentured to the nicest band of pirates as he celebrates his 21st birthday.
The young man leaves the band of pirates in search of true love when he encounters the Major-General’s beautiful daughters, an encounter that is best-described as “ill-received” by the Major-General. What ensues is a series of comic events as the Major-General plots to keep his daughters away from the pirates. Meanwhile, the Pirate King has plans of his own. He doesn’t want to lose Frederick; he yearns to keep Frederic in his band, vigorously searching for ways to distract the young man from the intoxicating lures of enhancement and love.
(Jeff Roffman) | for The Atlanta Opera.
In his review, Jonathan Shipley wrote, “The story concerns Frederic. Having completed his 21st year, he is released from his apprenticeship to a band of swell pirates. He meets the daughters of Major-General Stanley, including Mabel. They fall instantly in love. Frederic learns, however, having been born on February 29, a leap year day, his indenture specifies that he remain with the pirates until his 21st birthday.
“Alas, that’s another 63 years. Bound by duty, he remains with the pirates, consoled, at least, by the fact that Mabel will wait for him. In betwixt all this — comedic hijinks, happy-go-lucky musical numbers and plenty of pizzazz.”
Gilbert and Sullivan’s first and only world premiere in the US
On Dec. 31, 1879, William Schwenck Gilbert and Arthur Seymore Sullivan premiered their comic operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, or the Slave of Duty. By this time, the duo had produced four critical successes, but it was their fourth, the H.M.S. Pinafore (1878) that launched the famed dramatist-composer duo into international stardom.
The Pirates of Penzance was the product of their earlier successes, culminating into a perfect blend of human nature, comedy, and satire, which Gilbert and Sullivan perfected through the fine interplay of music and theatrics. The Pirates of Penzance was the first and only work by Gilbert and Sullivan to have a world premiere in the United States. On the night of its first performance, New York’s Fifth Avenue Theater was filled with cheers and laughter with critics unapologetically praising it as, “brilliant and a complete success.”
(Jeff Roffman) | for The Atlanta Opera.
“Never before and never since have the concepts of duty, commitment, and conscience been so darn funny!” says Christopher McBeth, artistic director of the Utah Opera. Adding, “Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance with its charming story and zany characters is one of the most beloved British comic operas of all time.”
The piece, he says, is no stranger to the wonderful people of Utah with its surprisingly sophisticated music combined with over-the-top witty lyrics. Like any good comedy, it works on multiple levels from young teens to the most venerable of us.
“This well-known production has been one of the most successful in our country [it’s being presented multiple times this year alone]. You may think you know the Gilbert and Sullivan masterpiece. With its high amount of choreography this fast-paced, ever-moving production in combination with this extraordinary, world-class cast will have you enjoying The Pirates of Penzance more than ever before. It bookends the Utah Opera season with the fun and marvelous music we all need.”
Baritone Hugh Russell plays Major-General Stanley. He’s had the honor of working with many eminent conductors throughout his career and he has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, and many more. Russell describes The Pirates of Penzance as a, “really fun show, both to be in and watch.”
Russell says it has a wealth of music, both the beautiful and the very comic, including some of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most famous melodies, such as, “Poor Wandering One,” “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,” and “With Cat-Like Tread.”
(Jeff Roffman) | for The Atlanta Opera.
“It is a funny, rollicking piece, in which even the supposedly dangerous pirates have hearts of gold,” says Russell. “Major-General Stanley is a lot of fun to play. I get to sing one of the most famous Gilbert & Sullivan songs of all time, “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,” which is what is known as a ‘patter’ song. That means that it has a great many words, sung very quickly. Major-General Stanley is a rather silly character, somewhat pompous and overblown, who gets himself into scrapes by speaking first and thinking later.”
The Pirates of Penzance is conducted by Gary Thor Wedow and directed by Kyle Lang; it has a large ensemble cast—in addition to Major-General Stanley, the Pirate King is played by Craig Irvin, Frederick is played by John Riesen, Mabel is played by Madison Leonard, and Ruth is played by Meredith Arwady, to name a few.
(Jeff Roffman) | for The Atlanta Opera.
James Schuette is the mastermind behind the set and costume designs, and the performance wouldn’t be complete without the acclaimed Utah Opera Chorus lending its vocal talents—and dancing talents as well! (All chorus members were required to audition as dancers for this particular show.)
“Sweet, short and lovely, it’s a tasty morsel that reminds us — as we try and recapture art as a living, breathing (with mask on), necessary bit of being humans — that musical theater is a wonderful expression of who we are. All the better if we can laugh at a goofball major-general,” summarizes Shipley in his review.
Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance is a performance you don’t want to miss! It has four shows running Saturday, May 07, 2022 through Sunday, May 15, 2022 at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre located at 50 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. For more information on tickets and showtimes, click here.