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JOHNSON CITY, TENN (March 29, 2004) — Starting this Thursday, East Tennessee State University and Milligan College will present the popular musical The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan, April 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday matinee, April 4, at 2 p.m., on the stage of the VA Theatre on the Mountain Home VA facility. Tickets are $12.00 for non-students and $6.00 for students (i.d. required).
Produced as a collaborative venture between the ETSU and Milligan College Theatre and Music programs, the production is one of the largest musicals ever mounted in Johnson City.
“With a cast of 27, an orchestra of 34, a crew of 15, and an artistic staff of 12, we have high expectation for this venerable, crowd-pleasing, Gilbert and Sullivan classic,” said the show’s director, Richard Major of Milligan College. “Drawing from the depth of artistic talent within both institutions, we have put together an outstanding team,” said Major.
“The artists are among the best and brightest in our region. Working with them has been delightful,” Major said. “This is one production that you don’t want to miss. It may be a long time before you’ll see a production that is so perfectly suited to the VA Theatre.”
The Pirates of Penzance opened in late December 1879 in both London and New York City. On April 3, 1880, the first of over 400 performances opened at the Opera Comique in London, an enormous success in those days.
Undoubtedly the most popular of their operettas, Gilbert and Sullivan are at their very best in creating frothy, cleverly witty lyrics and music in this production. Audiences have thoroughly enjoyed this comedic romp of romance and irresistible tunes, such as “I am the Very Model of a Major General,” “Poor Wandering One!” and “When the Foreman Bears His Steel.”
Annie Tipton, a Milligan College senior communications major from Shreve, Ohio, plays Ruth, Frederic’s nurse maid. The Sgt. of Police is played by Missie Mills, a Milligan journalism major from Jacksonville, Fla. Frederic is played by Zachary Marshall, a senior ETSU vocal performance major from Bristol, Tenn., while Major-General Stanley is played by Edward Breese, a 1996 ETSU theatre graduate originally from New York. Sarah Beth Brimer, an ETSU music education major from Chuckey, Tenn., plays Mabel, and Michael Ottinger, an ETSU theatre major from Greeneville, Tenn., plays the Pirate King.
Reservations for tickets may be made by phone at 423-439-7576 or by email to theatre@etsu.edu. The Sunday afternoon performance of The Pirates of Penzance will feature interpreting for the deaf or hard of hearing. Tickets on reserve must be picked up no later than 15 minutes prior to curtain and payment may be with check or cash.