Jamestown High School will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” on Thursday, March 12, and Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 14 at 2 and 7 p.m. in the Merton P. Corwin Auditorium of JHS, at 350 E. 2nd Street. Pictured is a scene from “The Pirate King” portrayed by JHS senior Hayden Langford (right).
Jamestown High School will present “The Pirates of Penzance” this week.
Performances will take place Thursday, March 12, and Friday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 14 at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. in the Merton P. Corwin Auditorium of JHS.
The comedic opera, composed by the legendary team of Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and Sir Anthony Seymour Sullivan is under the direction of Lauren Scharf, with vocal direction by Melissa Beichner, choreography created by Jennie Caruso, and pit orchestra direction by Meghan Murray.
Scharf said, “Following last year’s production of Les Misérables, I wanted to select a comedy that would still challenge the students, and Pirates of Penzance was the perfect choice. Its absurd plot and characters suit this year’s cast perfectly, and the leads are bringing them to life in the most fantastic way possible.”
Gilbert and Sullivan’s hilarious, hopeful farce follows young Frederic, an orphan who has mistakenly been apprenticed to an ineffectual but raucous band of pirates. He disavows the pirates’ way of life and falls for the beautiful Mabel. Frederic’s melodious tones win over the heart of Major-General Stanley’s songbird daughter, Mabel, but when the Pirate King discovers that General Stanley has lied about being an orphan to keep the pirates from stealing all of his belongings and carrying off his bevy of beautiful daughters, an “ingenious paradox” may prevent the budding romance and lead to the death of “The very model of a modern Major-General.”
Jamestown High School’s musical program has also been nominated again for the Shea’s Wonder Awards. The program, which JHS will participate in for the third straight year, is designed to “celebrate and support the arts in high schools, foster excellence in musical theatre, and provide valuable educational opportunities for students.” Last school year’s production of “Les Miserables: School Edition” was recognized with seven nominations — of which Scharf was awarded recognition for “Outstanding Direction.”
If nominated, the students would be able to perform selections from the show on stage at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo in May.
The production includes nearly 100 students in the cast, pit orchestra, and production crew, led by student stage managers Jaylynn Carlson and John Johnston.
General admission is $10 and can be purchased at the door or online at jhsmusical.ludus.com with an additional service fee.
The production is presented through an arrangement with Music Theatre International.
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