THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE to Open Way Off Broadway's 2017 Mainstage Season

Earlier this year, producers for The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, the area's only year-round producing dinner theatre, announced the lineup of shows for its 2017 Season. Kicking off 2017's blockbuster year, will be the hilarious pirate farce, The Pirates of Penzance, opening in January.

Beginning January 20th, audiences will set sail with Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance, a hilarious farce about sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim-witted young lovers, and an eccentric Major-General. This updated version of The Pirates Of Penzance took New York by storm when it premiered in Central Park in 1980, leading to a subsequent smash-hit Broadway run.

The original The Pirates of Penzance premiered at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on December 31, 1879. It was the fifth collaboration between Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert, who had already come to some fame following the success of H.M.S. Pinafore the year before in London.

Following its premiere, Pirates went on to become a staple performed by opera companies around the world for the next century. In 1980, a revised version of the show was presented by Joseph Papp and The Public Theatre at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Following that initial run, the production transferred to Broadway the following January where it ran for two years.

The cast of both the Shakespeare Festival production and Broadway transfer included Linda Ronstadt as Mabel, George Rose as the Major General, Rex Smith as Frederic, Tony Azito as the Police Sergeant, and Kevin Kline as the Pirate King. The role of Ruth was first performed by British stage star Patricia Routledge, but when the show transferred, the part was taken over by Estella Parsons.

The Broadway production won a number of awards including three Tonys (Best Actor - Kline; Best Direction - Wilford Leach; and Best Revival), five Drama Desk Awards, and one Theatre World Award.

In 1983, a film adaptation of Papp's production of Pirates was released with all of the show's original stars reprising their roles. The role of Ruth however, was played by stage and screen star Angela Lansbury.

Way Off Broadway's production has a cast of theatre regulars that audiences will recognize, along with some making their WOB debut. The cast includes Matt Hirsh as Frederic, Lawren Hill as Mabel, Jordan B. Stocksdale as the Pirate King, Tamarin K. Ythier as Ruth, Brian Clarke as the Major General, and Joseph Waeyaert as the Police Sergeant. They will be joined on stage by Matt Bannister, Jessica Billones, Daniel Hafer, Melissa Ann Martin, Sarah Melinda, Pete Meyers, Amanda Schrider, Thomas Stratton, Jeremy Trammelle, Laura Walling, Tori Weaver, and Adam Yastrzemsky.

The Pirates of Penzance has music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and a book and lyrics by Sir William Gilbert. Way Off Broadway's production is choreographed by Dee Buchanan with music direction by Jordan B. Stocksdale and is under the direction of Bill Kiska and Ariel Messeca, who is making his directorial debut at the theatre.

Kicking off the 2017 Mainstage Season, The Pirates of Penzance will run from January 20th through March 11th, with performances every Friday and Saturday evening, and matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month. Tickets for Friday and Sunday performances are $45; Saturday evening tickets are $48 and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 301.662.6600.

To learn more about The Pirates of Penzance, or any of Way Off Broadway's productions, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com.

Following Pirates this spring will be the area premiere of the high flying family musical adventure Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, will celebrate its 25th Silver Anniversary Season in 2019. Since it first opened in 1995, the theatre has been a leader in the area's theatre community, proudly bringing both classic musicals, as well as regional and area premieres to the Frederick stage. Productions have included Monty Python's Spamalot, Noises Off, The Addams Family, Les Misérable, Sunset Boulevard, Legally Blonde, Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical, The Music Man, Jekyll & Hyde, Hairspray, South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Mel Brooks' The Producers, CATS, The Wedding Singer, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Annie, Bye Bye, Birdie, The King & I, ...Forum, Lend Me a Tenor, Joseph..., Blood Brothers, Mame, and 42nd Street. Way Off Broadway is also the home of a one-of-a-kind children's lunch theatre, offering entertainment for the entire family, giving children a chance to see their favorite characters live on stage. In addition to its regular season, the theatre produces a number of special events throughout the year including an annual Breakfast with Santa (and Mrs. Claus) and an interactive mysteries series.