The Pirates of Penzance

Directed by Wendy Morgan Hunter
Musical Direction by Eric Kramer

The Story

Young Frederic is reaching the age of 21 and out of his indentures to a soft hearted band of pirates, who never seem to capture any ships or treasure. (His nurse misheard the instruction to apprentice him to a pilot.)

The Major General’s daughters arrive to paddle at the seaside, but are surprised by Frederick who immediately falls for beautiful young Mabel.

The pirates arrive to capture the daughters and propose to “marry” them. (This is a family show, after all.) The Major General arrives and intercedes explaining that he is an orphan boy and they can’t take his daughters away from him. The pirates, all being orphans, agree and release the daughters.

In the second act, the Pirate King discovers that Frederic’s birthday is February 29th and that he is only 5 1/4 birthdays old, not 21, and insists he return to the pirate band. The meek and inept police arrive to capture the pirates, and after Ruth the nursemaid points out the the pirates are all “noblemen gone wrong,” all is forgiven and the pirates are happily married to the daughters.