Gilbert & Sullivan's
The Pirates of Penzance
or, The Slave of Duty

May 30 & 31, 1986
June 1, 6 & 7, 1986

Directed by Marion Scodari
Music Directed by Barry Morley

Performed at
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater
Rockville, MD

Cast

Major-General Stanley - John Perine
The Pirate King - Brian Burke
Samuel, His Lieutenant -  Andy Kirk
Frederic, The Pirate Apprentice - David Jackson
Sergeant of Police - Fred Hoghteling (5/30, 5/31, 6/6)
                                Ken Krantz (6/1, 6/7)
Mabel - Linda Kirk (5/30 thru 6/6)
            Shirley Markham (6/7)
Edith - Syril Lessans
Kate - Shirley Santilhano
Isabel - Jenny Tapper
Ruth, Pirate Maid-of-all-work - Rosalie Santilhano

Chorus of Pirates, Police, and General Stanley's Wards -
        Donna Adler, John Anderson, Donna Bradshaw, Valerie Conner,             Fran Fleming, Leslie Gasner, Stuart Gasner, Barry Grinnell,
        Patti Hintze, Fred Houghteling, Mindy Jaffee, Karel S. James,                 Robert Kimball, Andy Kirk, Hike Kostrzewa, Helene Kram,
        Ken Krantz, Hark Lindeman, Edith Liuingstone, Penny Luborsky,
        Mary Sue Merritt, Bob Rusk, Judith Sapon, Andrew Sheets,
        Ellen C. Sherfey, AIison Verdi, Ed Wiot, Lou Wiot

Orchestra

Gerald Alleva, Florence Anfinsen, Carol Baxter, Jennifer Binckes,
Alice Briggs, Tom Christy, Noriko Fukuwatari, Danielle Gallina,
Tom Gleason, Harriet Guskin, Craig Heier, Louise Hill, John Hohmann,
Pippa Holloway, Steve Jasper, Jennifer Kerr, Carolyn Larson,
Willy McDonald, Dennis Murphy, John Patton, John Pearson,
Lisa Plowman, Pat Potter, Bernard Rappaport, Dave Ross,
Jane Schisgall, Bryan Seith, Pauline Summers, Earl Zastrow

Production Staff

Producers - David Jackson, Lyle Jaffe
Set Design - Jarmine Lurner
Lighting Design - Christopher Verdi
Costume Design - Mary Sue Merritt
Costume Construction - Mary Sue Merritt, Niomi Kaiz,
                                    Penny Lubarsky, Edith Livingstone, Lou Wiot
Graphics - Dot Laong
House Manager - Darlene Allen
Lighting Execution - Chris Verdi, Chris Heiler, Nicholas Hartin
Make-up & Hair Design - Judy Burke, Pamela Grady
Orchestra Manager/Coordinator - Gene Sober
Photography/Videotaping - Tom Fuchs
Program - Dot Laong, Syril Lessans, Marion Scodari
Props - David Jackson, Hary Sue Merritt
Publicity - Marion Scodari, Donna Adler, Barry Grinnell, Lyle Jaffe,
                David Jackson
Refreshment Manager - AI Santilhano
Rehearsal Pianists - Melanie Smith, Fran Hrastar, Phyllis Isaacson,
                                Al Neumann
Set & Costume Storage - Al & Jackie Rupel
Set Construction - David Jackson, Brad Friedhan, Jeff Schuler
Stage Manager - Niomi Kaiz
Tickets - Caroline & Jim Hummel

Special Acknowledgments -  Rainie Broad,  Michael Critzer,
Robert Giesy, Our Lady of Lourdes School, Rockville Musical Theatre,
Thornton Friends School, Sandy Spring Friends School,
Wooden Shoe Bakery

Although "Pirates of Penzance is Jess complicated than most Gilbert & SuIIivan operas, two essential twists must be kept in mind: (1) Frederic was born in leap year on February 29th. Thus he has a birthday only once in four years. At a critical point in the opera he realizes that he is, going by birthdays, only five. (2) The pirates are all orphans and therefore show mercy to any orphans they encounter. Since everyone has learned this, the pirates are rendered practically powerless.

Act I - A Rocky Seashore on the Coast of Cornwall
The pirates are celebrating Frederic's 21st birthday (in actuality his fifth plus one year). Frederic announces that he has now worked out his apprenticeship and will leave the pirates, dedicating his life to their extermination. The pirates bid him farewell and leave. Ruth remains to woo the naive Frederic, assuring him that she is quite attractive. She is interrupted by a bevy of beautiful maidens, all of whom are wards of Major-General Stanley. Frederic, seeing their beauty, spurns Ruth and offers himself to whichever maiden will accept him. Mabel does. In the midst of all this the pirates return, force themselves on the beautiful maidens and determine to marry them. Just in time the Major-General arrives, realizes who the pirates are, convinces them that he is an orphan, and gets his daughters off the hook. The act ends as Ruth makes a last desperate attempt to woo Frederic.

Act II -  A Ruined Chapel by Moonlight
The Major-General is inconsolable because of his lie that he is an orphan. Frederic, however, informs him that a company of police are ready to begin their expedition of extermination. The Police arrive. Despite urging from the ebullient young ladies, they show little enthusiasm for the task ahead. They finally go off aroused to something less than fighting pitch. But now Ruth and the Pirate King arrive to inform Frederic that his apprenticeship was to last until his 21st birthday, not his 21st year. Appealing to his sense of duty, they convince Frederic that he must rejoin their band. A pirate once more, he is duty-bund to reveal that Major-General Stanley is no orphan. The King and Ruth swear immediate vengeance. Frederic bids farewell to Mabel who summons the police who arrive just in time to hide from the pirates who arrive just in time to hide from the Major-General. The pirates seize the Major-General, the girls pleads for mercy, the police intervene, and the pirates rout them handily. The Sergeant of Police, however, invokes the name of Queen Victoria, and the pirates submit. Ruth now reveals that the pirates are all noblemen who have gone wrong which, of course, (in typical Gilbertian fashion) makes everything all right.