"The Pirates of Penzance" will offer flood-weary Minot residents a chance for a few hours of fun, said director Chad Gifford.
The production was rescheduled because of flooding on the Souris River. The show will run today through Monday at 8:30 p.m. in the amphitheater north of the MSU Dome.
Gifford said the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera tells the story of a young man who is indentured to a group of pirates until his 21st birthday. He breaks free from the pirates, finds his way in the world and falls in love. Then the pirates come back and complications ensue.
Article Photos
Terry J. Aman/MDN - - Noah Files as the Pirate King, center, and Brett Olson as Frederic, at right, engage in a friendly duel while the other pirates look on in a rehearsal of the MSU Summer Theatre production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic, “The Pirates of Penzance.”
"I say it's more of a cartoon opera," Gifford said. "They're very big and bold and over the top in everything they do."
"Pirates of Penzance" makes fun of opera, Gifford said, but the music is as beautiful and well done as in classical opera.
Gifford said he chose this show for this summer's production for a couple of reasons.
Fact Box
Gaining access
The Minot State University Summer Theatre production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" takes the stage at the Amphitheater, north of the MSU Dome, today through Monday.
Best access to the theater right now, according to the Minot Flood Hotline, is through the north entrance to the MSU Dome parking lot, that entrance located behind the Grand International.
Reservations are available by calling 858-3228. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $7 for students and senior citizens, $5 for preschoolers and $3 for MSU summer students and faculty with a current ID.
Military and National Guard members and their families can attend at a reduced rate Saturday night with military ID.
"I had a large number of talented singers that I really wanted to find a good use for," said Gifford. Also, he said, he'd had a lot of requests over the years to present this production.
Gifford also enjoyed the subject matter. "The humor appealed to me," he said.
Synopsis
The show presents a character, Frederic, played by Brett Olson, who was accidentally apprenticed in his childhood to service aboard a pirate ship.
On the eve of his emancipation from service to the Pirate King, played by Noah Files, Frederic manages to fall in love with a daughter, played by Kim Beard, of a Major General, played by David Bradley, and must reassess his sense of duty to these unorthodox pirates.
When it is discovered that the wording of his apprenticeship may bind him to his position for an additional 63 years, Frederic struggles between his sense of duty and the woman he loves.
Production
Gifford said the actors have been rehearsing since early June. The disruption caused by the flood meant some recasting had to be done at the last minute, too, but the cast is ready, he said.
Gifford said attendees will need to come to the amphitheater through the north side of campus. There are construction vehicles parked nearby, but the amphitheater is open, he said.
"We've had a lot of challenges lately," he said. "We decided to put this on partly because we thought people just need a break."