New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players' "The Pirates of Penzance" at the University of Dubuque -- March 26.
Sunday, March 26, 3 p.m.
University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque IA
One of the most ticklish and tuneful operettas in theatrical history comes to the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on March 26 with the touring presentation The Pirates of Penzance, the beloved Gilbert & Sullivan masterpiece enjoying a rich and radiant new staging by the artists of the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera is packed full of sentimental pirates, blundering policeman, absurd adventures, and improbable paradoxes. In this timeless, romantic, and hilarious work, Frederic, a pirate’s apprentice, falls head-over-heels in love with Mabel, the daughter of Major-General Stanley. Frederic is due to be released from his apprenticeship on his 21st birthday, but there’s a snag: As he was born on the 29th of February, Frederic discovers that he is, technically, only a five-year-old. Although he is very much in love, Frederic's dedication to his fellow pirates is unshakeable. Filled with delightfully familiar operatic tunes such as “Poor Wan'dring One” and the sublime tongue-twister “I Am the Very Model (of a Modern Major General),” The Pirates of Penzance asks whether lovesick Frederic can ultimately find a way to live happily ever after with Mabel, yet still find a way to honor his duty.
Now in its 49th year of operation, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) is America’s preeminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory ensemble. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Albert Bergeret, who has been hailed by New York magazine as “the leading custodian of the G&S classics," 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 omore than 2,500 performances of the G&S masterpieces throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K., captivating audiences of all ages.
The company has in its repertory 13 different complete G&S operas, special versions of the most popular operas designed for children’s audiences, and a variety of charming concert programs created especially for NYGASP’s “Wand’ring Minstrels” ensemble. The company has also produced a unique cabaret act, I’ve Got a Little Twist, which is currently touring throughout the country and appeared at Lincoln Center’s 2011 Atrium series. Meanwhile, the company’s celebrated ensemble of G&S experts, developed by introducing new singers each year from New York’s immense pool of vocal and theatrical talent, has collaborated with such guest artists as Tony Award winner John Rubinstein and original Batman Riddler Frank Gorshin, both of whom portrayed King Gama in Princess Ida; The Addams Family's original Gomez John Astin as Sir Joseph and The Little Mermaid's Pat Carroll as Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore; and Barney Miller's Hal Linden as Pirates' Major-General.
The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players' The Pirates of Penzance will be performed in the University of Dubuque Heritage Center's John & Alice Butler Hall on March 26, admission to the 3 p.m. show is $24-50, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)585-7469 and visiting Dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
