NYGASP Presents THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 12/28-1/1

The New YorK Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP), continues its winter season on Wednesday, December 28th (3PM) with a special week-long engagement of The Pirates of Penzance at Peter Norton Symphony Space (2535 Broadway at 95th Street).

The holiday engagement of The Pirates of Penzance will be filled with events and activities for the whole family including “Bring Your Grandparents Day” on Wednesday, December 28th; a pre-show Savoy Dialogue on Thursday, December 29th; a pre-show Family Overture on Saturday afternoon, December 31st; and the annual New Year’s Eve Champagne Gala on Saturday evening, December 31st.

Under the artistic and music direction of Albert Bergeret, the company has presented over 2,600 performances throughout the United States, Canada, and England. Incorporating a 25-piece orchestra, its productions feature contemporary energy while retaining a traditional respect for each of the G&S masterpieces. 

The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty centers on the dilemma of young Frederic who, as a child, was mistakenly apprenticed to the pirates until his twenty-first birthday. Helping Frederic to deal with this unusual predicament are the brash Pirate King, Ruth - the pirate maid-of-all-work, romantic Mabel, and the delightfully stuffy Major-General Stanley. On the rocky coast of Cornwall, England a band of tenderhearted pirates celebrates the coming of age of their apprentice, Frederic. Although Frederic's apprenticing to pirates was the mistake of his nurse maid Ruth, he has dutifully served, but he now announces his plan to devote his life to the extermination of piracy. The naive young man meets a group of beautiful girls, their father, the delightfully dotty Major-General, and enlists the help of some bumbling and diffident policemen. But Ruth and the Pirate King tell Frederic that his apprentice papers state that he won't be of age until his 21st birthday, which won't occur until the distant date of 1940 because Frederic was born in leap year on the 29th of February. Frederic is doomed to remain the pirate apprentice. The policemen try to capture the pirates on their own, but are easily defeated. Everyone is happy to discover that the pirates are really all "noblemen who have gone wrong," so all is forgiven in the end.

The NYGASP 2011-12 season is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State’s 62 counties.

Special Event dates and times are as follows:

Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 3:00pm - Bring Your Grandparents Day - Respect your favorite elders with a backstage tour featuring the character of your choice following the performance!

Thursday, December 29, 2011, 7:00pm - Savoy Dialogue - Enjoy a dazzling discourse about all matters G&S with members of the cast and the NYGASP artistic staff before the show! (5:30-6:30pm in the theater)

Saturday, December 31, 2011, 3:00pm - Family Overture - You're invited to a free musical introduction and plot summary made entertaining and informative for the entire family. (1:45pm in the theater)

Saturday, December 31, 2011, 8:00pm - New Year's Eve Gala - G&S’s most beloved score, The Pirates of Penzance, and a little bubbly at intermission is just the beginning. An exclusive invitation to the cast party afterward, completes the elegant affair.

Performance times for The Pirates of Penzance at Peter Norton Symphony Space (2535 Broadway at 95th Street) are as follows: Wednesday, December 28th (3PM); Thursday, December 29th (7PM); Friday, December 30th (8PM); Saturday, December 31st (3PM & 8PM ~ ticket price for the evening performance includes complimentary champagne toast!); Sunday, January 1st (3PM).

G&S FEST tickets are priced from $87 to $67, with $8 off for seniors and half price tickets for children 12 and under. All prices are $10 more on New Year's Eve. Information and tickets can be obtained by phoning (212) 864-5400 or by visiting www.nygasp.org. Discounted multiple buy ticket packages are available only through the NYGASP office at 212-769-1000.

Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg

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