Quaker Valley’s “The Pirates of Penzance” was performed on March 20, 21 and 22. During this time, most schools in Beaver County were busy with their preparations for their own shows. The musicals that were being performed this year were all very diverse.
The stage of “The Pirates of Penzance” was very unique; the entire play only had about three main scenes, but the stage was set up to mock a victorian stage. The stage was slanted with the back of the stage raised up a few feet from the ground, letting the audience see everything that was going on and making the chase scenes ridiculously funny.
Given away by its name, the lesser known musical focuses on a group of pirates, whose apprentice has grown old enough to leave “their pirate fold” after being indentured to them for so many years.
The songs were set up mostly in a challenging “patter” form (songs with a fast tempo and a succession of rapid rhythmic patterns). The songs are supposed to be tongue twisters. Playing for the actors and actresses on the stage, the orchestra was a “band” of pirates; they dressed the part and interacted with the cast as part of the performance.
The musical itself, being a comedy, has a very silly plot, accompanied by the comedic songs. It’s incredibly difficult to pick a favorite scene and even more difficult to pick a favorite character. I particularly enjoyed the “zany” policemen and their eccentric dancing, as well as the pirates sneaking into the castle as “quietly” as possible.
All the members of the cast were a joy to watch, the students were very talented and the ensemble was one of the strongest that I’ve ever heard. There was simply not an unlikeable character in this play and not an actor on stage who was lacking talent.
Anyone willing to broaden their musical horizons should definitely consider travelling around the district next year to see the other musicals that are performed and maybe even discover one they have never heard of before.
Needless to say, “The Pirates of Penzance” was not only hysterical, but incredibly well done, moving onto my personal list of favorite musicals.