Hit the High Seas with THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, April 23-May 2!
Photo by Ralph Ybarra
Performance Riverside is honoring both the arts patrons and the artistic talent of Riverside, the City of Arts and Innovation, during it’s run of, The Pirates of Penzance, with two “Riverside Resident’s Day” performances at Landis Performing Arts Center. Pirates, running April 23 through May 2, is Gilbert and Sullivan at their hilariously swashbuckling best, and on April 24, at 2pm and 8pm, Riverside residents with zip codes of 92501 through 92509 have a “first rate opportunity” to enjoy these live performances with their families. Adults who purchase a $30 ticket (reduced from $37 and $43) may purchase tickets for up to 4 children aged 4 -16 years of age for only $8 per ticket, thanks to a generous grant from the City of Riverside.
Rey O’Day, Producing Artistic Director of Performance Riverside says, “We are delighted to be part of a city that both talks about the arts and financially supports the arts. We are fortunate to be in a community with vast numbers of diversely talented performers, and a very arts-savvy population that partakes regularly in a variety of performing arts events. It’s a very happy partnership!”
In The Pirates of Penzance, a rollicking band of pirates, a bevy of giggling maidens and their “very model of a modern Major-General” father, along with a dashing pirate apprentice, a fading nursemaid and a bunch of blundering policemen are the key ingredients for the charmingly ridiculous plot. Frederick, son of a wealthy 19th century man was to be apprenticed to a pilot, yet due to a hard-of-hearing nursery maid, was instead apprenticed to a pirate. His love for sweet, innocent Mabel, and his devotion to his pirate family leave this poor “Slave of Duty” split right down the middle! It’s a musical treasure chest of well loved classics like Mabel's show stopping coloratura aria "Poor Wand'ring One", and Gilbert & Sullivan’s trademark patter song, "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General". Great fun, sidesplitting laughs, and bombastic vocal performances have made this a favorite of audiences worldwide for over 130 years! Production Concept for Penzance is by Bart McHenry, with direction and choreography by John Vaughan, and music direction of David Lamoureux.
Pirates of Penzance showcases some of Riverside’s most talented citizens. Patricia Scarborough, one of the founding members of both Riverside Civic Light Opera/Performance Riverside and the Mission Inn Dinner Theatre, gets to show off her talent for comedy in the role of Ruth, a “piratical maid of all work”. Also returning to the Landis Stage is John LaLonde, in the role of the rollicking, raucous Pirate King. He last appeared the Performance Riverside’s Twenty-Fifth Anniversary production of South Pacific. Other Riversiders featured in the show are Christina Milton, Jamie Snyder, and Aaron Wolgemuth. Jordan Lamoureux plays the romantic lead, Frederick, after spending the past year in the beautiful city of Hong Kong performing as a Dapper Dan for Hong Kong Disneyland. Amy Gillette, fresh from Musical Theatre West’s well-lauded production of Sweeney Todd, takes on the musically challenging role of Mabel, with Frank Gilleece in the delightfully crowd-pleasing role of her father, Major General Stanley. The production also features Brandon Alpert, Matt Baxter, Miguel Cardenas, Kyle Jackson, Nicole Mekenian, Aaron Milligan, Dimyana Pelev, Matthew Saunders, Erik Snodgrass, Samantha Visco, Christina Wagenet, Jennifer Wilcove and Tim Woods.
Performances of The Pirates of Penzance are April 23, 24, 30, and May 1 at 8pm, and April 24, 25, May 1 and 2 at 2pm. Tickets are $25, $30, $37, and $43. Please visit www.PerformanceRiverside.org for information about special prices on City of Riverside’s April 24 performances for the Riverside Resident’s Day, and the Target Family Series performance on May 1st at 1pm. “Discovery Theatre” previews for school and senior groups are also available on Friday April 23 and 30 at 10am. All performances are at Landis Performing Arts Center at 4800 Magnolia Avenue. For more information and to purchase tickets contact the Landis Box Office at 951-222-8100, or purchase online at www.PerformanceRiverside.org .
