A Timeless Comedy: Capital University Conservatory Presents The Pirates

of Penzance
Capital Universitys Conservatory of Music has begun rehearsals for Gilbert and
Sullivans comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance, which will open March 13th-15th in
Mees Hall at 8 p.m., with the 14th and 15th featuring additional 2 p.m. matinee
performances. The production, conducted by Grammy award-winner William Boggs
and directed by Mark Baker, introduces two alternating principal casts supported by
an impressive ensemble in this show about a young pirate apprentice whose
adherence to duty lends him to a series of hilarious mishaps.
It is classic, clever comedy that stands the test of time, said Director Baker about
the English opera, which this year celebrates the 136-year anniversary of its
opening. Its a show about misunderstandings between very different groups of
people, which is a theme still seen in a lot of comedy today.
Over the course of their late-1800s partnership, Librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer
Arthur Sullivan collaborated on 14 comic operas that are still regularly and globally
performed. The Pirates of Penzance, recognized as one of their best-known works,
premiered in New York City on December 31, 1879, and is one of the frequently
parodied and referenced operas in modern culture. The two-act production features
the most famous of all Gilbert and Sullivans songs, I Am the Very Model of a
Modern-Major General, a 400-word solo number designed to be sung at a
breakneck pace. Zach Conaway, a junior performance major, will present the song
in all four performances.
The Pirates of Penzance concludes Capitals ambitious musical season for the
academic year, which included the Conservatorys production of Chicago, an
assorted selection of classic musical scenes titled Tales Twice Told, and the Cabaret
Theatres performance of Xanadu. University directors are in the process of
selecting next years theatrical productions, which will include two standard
musicals and a dramatic opera.
Founded in 1830, Capital University is a private liberal arts college located in the
Columbus suburb of Bexley, Ohio, and is the oldest university in Central Ohio as well
as one of the largest Lutheran-affiliated colleges in North America. Capital is
currently populated by 3,494 undergraduate and graduate students, and maintains
a 12:1 student to faculty ratio to ensure personalized, hands-on education. Capitals
Conservatory of Music includes more than 40 student music ensembles led by
professors with renowned and global experience, and classes and majors in music
theory, performance, and technology.
For further information, contact Abigail Worden at 513-325-0195 or Another
Individual at 555-555-5555.
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