Members of the cast recently offered elementary students in Stillwater a few scenes from “The Pirates of Penzance.” They include (l-r) Dustin Boatright as the pirate king, Benjamin Pitts as Frederic, and Shelby Stroud as Ruth, a pirate ship maid.

OSU Opera Theatre to perform “The Pirates of Penzance”

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The Oklahoma State University Opera Theatre will present “The Pirates of Penzance” with comic performances that are sure to be crowd pleasers on Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the concert hall of the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts.

The operetta, performed in its original English, tells the story of Frederic, a young man who was raised by pirates. He suddenly discovers there are beautiful women in the world and decides to marry one of them, Mabel, the daughter of a naval general. However, Frederic’s pirate friends are not pleased and they plot to take him back with them and vow revenge against the general. A fierce battle ensues before everyone can live happily ever after.

Songs from the operetta include Mabel's famous aria "Poor Wandering One," sung by Clare Nelson; the fast-paced “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,” which is always a hit, sung by Bryan Casey; Ruth’s aria, “When Frederic was a Little Lad,” sung by the piratical maid of all work Shelby Stroud; and the great romantic tenor aria, ”Oh, is there Not One Maiden Breast,” sung by the pirate apprentice Benjamin Pitts. Plus, some very fun and energetic trios and chorus numbers sung by pirates, police, and general Stanley's daughters.

Conducted by Maestro Thomas Taylor Dickey and stage directed by Steve Sanders, the opera is performed by OSU vocalists and instrumentalists with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert with special appearances by Miss OSU Mattison Diener and Dr. Howard Potter, head of the OSU Music Department.

The cast includes two performers in some of the roles. Those who are listed second in the following will play the role on March 10: Benjamin Pitts as Fredric; Bryan Casey as Major-General Stanley; Dustin Boatright as the pirate king; Jonathan Rhoades and Kyler Sanders as Samuel, the lieutenant; and Dylan Aaron as the sergeant of police. The major-general’s daughters include Clare Nelson as Mabel; Lauren Guthridge and Emma Schlebach as Edith; Rebekah Telford and Tylar Gregg as Kate; and Ali Lewis as Isabel. Shelby Stroud is Ruth, the pirate maid.

The chorus of pirates, police and general Stanley’s daughters will include Allie Williams, Abigail Barnett, Porsheé Richardson, Emma Schlebach, Lauren Guthridge, Tylar Gregg, Rebekah Telford, Ali Lewis, Kyler Sanders, Jonathan Rhoades, Blake Watson, Bergen Ehrlich, Carly Nash, Michael Casselman, Nathan Schoenfeld, Joe Hoehner, Holden Price and Wesley Rice.

Tickets are available through the OSU Music Department office or online at http://marketplace.okstate.edu and are $10 general admission, and $7 for students and senior citizens. For more information, contact April Golliver-Mohiuddin at (405) 744-8986.