Pirates of Penzance - Brighton Theatre Group Youth
Over 50 youngsters aged 8-18 years old, will take to the stage in swashbuckling style in June for Brighton Theatre Group Youth’s (BTGY) Broadway revival production of The Pirates of Penzance (Pirates).
‘Pirates’ is a comic opera in two acts, with music by the renowned Victorian partnership of composer Arthur Sullivan and librettist W.S. Gilbert. Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated on fourteen comic operas and ‘Pirates’ is a full on musical romp full of great songs, larger than life characters and great comedy – essential ingredients for a family show and loved by audiences for over 100 years. Thirty years ago Broadway decided to give the show its own special touch and the revival has played to packed houses since then and been made into a film.
With superb performances from 17 year old Laurence Young (from Lewes) as the Pirate King and 16 year old Rory Maguire (from Hove) as the Major General the cast offers a wealth of young talent in the guise of the General’s daughters, policemen and pirates. Fifteen year old Ollie Wray (from Brighton) plays the love struck pirate Frederick with Frances Wood (15, from Rottingdean) taking the female lead as Mabel.
‘Pirates’ tells the story of Frederic, who, at 21 years old, is released from his apprenticeship to a band of tender-hearted pirates. He meets Mabel, the daughter of Major-General Stanley, and the two young people fall instantly in love. Frederic finds out, however, that he was born on 29 February, and so, technically, he only has a birthday each leap year. His apprenticeship indentures state that he remains apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday, and so he must serve for another 63 years. Bound by his own sense of duty, Frederic's only solace is that Mabel agrees to wait for him faithfully.
Following on from BTGY’s sell out successes of Hairspray and Footloose, ‘Pirates’ will be performed at The Windmill Theatre, at Blatchington Mill School in Neville Road, Hove from Wednesday June 1st to Saturday June 4th from 7.30pm (matinee performance on Sat June 4th at 2.30pm). Tickets priced from £10 are available now from the box office tel: 01273 583478 or online at: www.brightontheatregroup.ticketsource.co.uk
Date of issue: 9th April 2011
Pirates of Penzance – 1-4 June 2011