Step back into Victorian society in this Gilbert and Sullivan delightfully witty, entertaining, and fresh operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, currently being performed by the Habersham Community Theater in Clarkesville, GA. Dated back to 1879 when it first debuted, audiences have enjoyed the silliness, beautiful voices, contagious songs, and comical characters.
Director Adam Wiley brings 35 years of experience to a production that will “WOW” audiences and leave patrons longing for more. Wiley’s visionary gift and leadership are evident from the opening of the show. “I have wanted to do The Pirates of Penzance since 1995. It is a story people will love, and it brings to the community something new and different.”
New and different indeed, with voices that belong on a stage in London or New York, and a cast of performers who will draw you in and make you believe they are who they say they are.
“I surround myself with a really talented team,” Wiley commented. “It’s easy to cast a vision but harder to get people to understand it. This cast understands it, which is why the performance works so well.”
The story opens with Frederic (Evan Bailey), an apprenticed pirate, who believes he has completed his indentured servitude with a band of pirates. After falling for one of the daughters of Major-General Stanley (Jeremy Bishop), named Mabel (LeAnne Challenger), he learns the difficult news that because he was born during a leap year, he has 63 more years before he is finished.
Mabel commits to wait for him until his duty is completed. The chemistry between the two (Challenger and Bailey) is spellbinding and will not leave a dry eye when the two part ways. From start to finish, you will journey down a path of emotions and leave feeling you’ve had a much-needed escape from reality.
The talented soprano Challenger isn’t just a pretty voice. Her comedic timing and alluring eyes leave the audience enchanted.
Bishop, (Major-General Stanley) and father to the fair maidens, has the audience tapping their feet to the famous “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” followed by the talented Rylan Pugh (Pirate King) egging him on to “do it faster”. While this is Pugh’s first operatic role, he brings life to the stage with his timely expressions, swirling hips, and true-to-life characterization of the Pirate King.
“I’ve been running on the treadmill and singing the songs,” Challenger said of the necessary training involved when performing. “It is a different side of theater than most people are used to. Opera can come across as ‘untouchable’ but this show is so approachable and funny.”
Lisa Smith, who plays the part of Ruth, commands the stage with her talented skills in acting and opera as well as Zachary Smagur (Sergeant) and Amber Miller (Edith).
There truly isn’t enough room on the page or words to describe what is in store for the audience other than it is a must-see. Years from now, audiences will still be talking about the experience.
Tickets are selling fast, and if you blink, you will miss the opportunity for this enchanted escape with pirates and maidens, humor and heartache, music, and voices beyond gifted.
Showtimes are October 2 – 5 and 9-12 at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on October 6 and 13 at 2 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online through the Habersham Community Theater website.
For more information, call 706-839-1315.
