Pirates of Penzance

Late last week I found out that a young friend of ours was playing in Pirates of Penzance in Menomonie. Since she had been graduated from UW Stout, I assumed that the performances were held at the campus and went online with my Google search to find out where I could purchase tickets. It was not at UW Stout, but at the Mabel Tainter Theater, and we were able to get tickets for Sunday afternoon.

Of course, the performance was more fun than I'd had in a long time. First of all, our friend was playing one of the dozen daughters of the Major-General. With her very blonde hair and pink parasol, (which she deftly used to keep advancing pirates at bay), along with her wicked use of eyebrow, she was one of the cast who made the performance a true delight. It was hilarious and such great entertainment.




From Wikipedia:

'The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences and critics. Its London debut was on 3 April 1880, at the Opera Comique, where it ran for a very successful 363 performances, having already been playing successfully for over three months in New York.

'The story concerns Frederic, who, having completed his 21st year, 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.'

***

Originally I hadn't planned on taking photos in the theater, for I assumed it was forbidden. However, since we had arrived early to collect our tickets, I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask permission to take photos in the theater before the performance began. Permission was granted, and I went to the car to get my camera.

Mabel Tainter Memorial Center for the Arts

From the program:

'The Mabel Tainter Memorial was built in 1889. The Pirates of Penzance or The Slave of Duty premiered in New York just ten years earlier in 1879. The thought of doing a nineteenth-century play in a nineteenth-century theater was too good to pass up. In fact, it was so exciting that the idea of using nineteenth-century theatrical techniques as much as possible was our guiding vision for this show. tonight you will see this vision reflecting in the choice of costumes, sets, props, posters, lighting, and acting styles. Our goal is that the sights and sounds that you experience while at the Mabel Tainter will transport you back to a simpler time when the air was clear[sic] and the stories were good. I daresay that if we hope to advance the arts in the future, it is well worth looking at the successes of the past.'

There's nothing like a live performance!

Next post:  more photos of the gorgeous Mabel Tainter Memorial Theater - inside and out.

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