Ordway to Present THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is excited to present The Pirates of Penzance, Aug. 4-16. Tickets for the Ordway produced musical comedy range from $36-$110 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in-person at the Ordway ticket office.

A band of swashbuckling pirates set hearts aflutter with their high seas hijinks in The Pirates of Penzance. This cheeky farce by Gilbert & Sullivan explodes across the stage with damsels in distress, a sexy pirate king, Canadian Mounties and a delightfully dotty Major-General. Fresh, clever and laugh-out-loud hilarious-it's pure Gilbert & Sullivan meets Spamalot.

The cast features Brandon O'Neill (Broadway's Aladdin, Ordway's Cabaret) as the Pirate King, Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (Broadway's A Little Night Music) as Frederic, Dieter Bierbrauer (Ordway's A Christmas Story, the Musical) as the Sergeant of Police, Gary Briggle (Ordway's A Christmas Story, the Musical) as Major-General Stanley, Anne Eisendrath as Mabel, and Kersten Rodau (Ordway's Damn Yankees) as Ruth.

Rounding out the cast are Libby Anderson, Lisa Bartholomew-Given, Marnie Buckner, Jennifer Eckes, Alex Gibson, Brandon Grimes, Jonah Hale, Reid Harmsen, Andrew Hey, Caroline Innerbichler, Suzie Juul, Alice McGlave, Erin Miller, Joey Miller, Pascal Pastrana, Matthew Rubbelke, Randy Schmeling, Rudolph Searles III, Emily Rose Skinner, Dane Stokinger, Alicia Renée Storkamp, Kirby Trymucha-Duresky and Monte Riegel Wheeler.

Directed and choreographed by Ordway's VP programming/producing artistic director, James A. Rocco, The Pirates of Penzance features music by Arthur Sullivan and a book by W. S. Gilbert. The iconic score includes such popular songs as "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General," "With Cat-like Tread" and "Oh, Better Far to Live and Die."

"Since it first premiered in 1879, The Pirates of Penzance has been a musical comedy masterpiece-which is why we've chosen this fantastic show to open the Ordway's 30th anniversary season," said Rocco. "We're thrilled to bring this unique and timeless classic to the Ordway stage with our own interpretation. Our production is set in a pop-up storybook version of the Pacific Northwest with new orchestrations built upon the sound of classic Broadway scores like Guys and Dolls and Spamalot."

The production's creative team includes Steve Tyler (musical director), Raymond Berg (associate musical director), Tom Sturge (scenic and lighting design), Lynda L. Salsbury (costume design), Alex Hawthorn (sound design) and Robert A. Dunn (wig and make-up design).

The Pirates of Penzance originally premiered at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City in December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences and critics. The show remains popular among audiences today as one of the most frequently performed Gilbert and Sullivan productions. The Ordway is proud to produce this timeless musical comedy in its continued commitment to celebrating the American musical theater art form and producing professional caliber musical theater works.

The Pirates of Penzance is sponsored by Travelers. For tickets and more information, visit www.ordway.org.

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