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KANSAS CITY, MO
3-30-2011
As
related by the director
St. Vincent de Paul Academy’s
production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s,
The Pirates of Penzance:
Rehearsals for the academy’s production of The
Pirates of Penzance began on January 11, 2011. For
more than two months, our cast of thirty-sevens students,
grades 5–12 and two academy alumni, kept to a rigid five
day per week rehearsal schedule with each rehearsal
lasting three hours. To enable us to best use this time,
we initially divided the time allotted for rehearsals
into two parts.
During the first half of rehearsals, the cast was split
into three groups with each group working on vocals,
dancing or acting. During the second half of rehearsals,
we put everything together. With the cast listening to
the music and working on their parts at home, as well as
the addition of a fourth hour of rehearsal time on
Saturdays, our large cast and crew was prepared for
their first performance on Thursday, March 24 through
their last production on Sunday, March 27. This brief
but successful run included two sold-out shows!
For those of you unfamiliar with the storyline, the
following summary is provided from the playbill:
Act I
The act opens with Frederic, who having completed his
21st year, is released of his apprenticeship to a band
of tender-hearted, orphan-respecting pirates. He reveals
his secret: he will leave the band of pirates and
devote his life to their extermination. His childhood
nursemaid Ruth steps forward to reveal the error that
she made when he was a lad: although his father had
sought to apprentice him to a “pilot”, through
being hard of hearing, Ruth had bound him to a “pirate”.
Frederic forgives Ruth for her understandable mistake
and tries in vain to convince the pirates to leave their
trade. His former comrades depart unconverted.
To
begin his new life, Frederic sets his sights on finding
a bride. As Ruth is the only woman that Frederic has
ever seen, she tries to persuade him that she is just as
fair as any other woman and the wife for him. Her dreams
are dashed when Frederic sees a “bevy of beautiful
maidens.” He immediately realizes that Ruth has
deceived him about herself, and he bitterly criticizes
her before she leaves.
Frederic observes the girls enjoying their time at the
ocean side and emerges to admit he is a former pirate
who is now looking for a bride. He sees Mabel, the only
one that will accept him, and they fall instantly in
love. When the pirates return and decide to take wives
of their own, Frederic and Mabel’s seemingly perfect
love story is short-lived. The pirates are stopped by
Major General Stanley, the girls’ father, who states he
is against “pirates as sons-in-law.” The pirates
decide to take matters into their own hands, and as they
are overtaking the Major General, they learn that he is
an orphan. At that news, the Pirate King sets them all
free.
Act II
Act II opens with General Stanley in deep mental anguish
for betraying his honor by lying to the pirates. His
daughters find him in the chapel where he weeps for
turning his back on his ancestors. Frederic reminds him
that he is only their “descendant by purchase.”
Frederic then turns his attention to preparing the
police to raid the pirates’ lair. His plans are
interrupted by the Pirate King and Ruth who advise
Frederic of the “paradox”: as he was born in leap
year on February 29th, he has only had five birthdays
and not the 21st required by his apprenticeship as a
pirate. Bound by honor and duty, Frederic feels
compelled to leave Mabel and rejoin the
pirates. Further, out of duty, Frederic reveals to the
Pirate King and Ruth that General Stanley lied about
being an orphan. The Pirate King declares he will raid
Stanley’s estate that night. Frederic’s only
consolation is that Mabel has agreed to wait 63 years
until his 21st birthday!
Although the pirates win the ensuing battle, they
renounce their ways when they are reminded of their
allegiance to Queen Victoria and their loyalty to
Britain. Ruth comes to their defense and attests to
their character by assuring General Stanley that “they
are all noblemen, who have gone wrong.” They
renounce piracy and all wed without hindrance.
News
contribution from
Miss
Rebecca Heatwole. |
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