The members of the WHB drama club are preparing to perform the operetta Pirates of Penzance directed by Rosemary Cline. This will be the first time this play is being performed in WHB. The musical will be in March in the Westhampton Beach High School auditorium.

The operetta Pirates of Penzance was written in the 1800s. It is about a man named Frederic who was accidently assigned to be the apprentice of a pirate by his nursery maid when he was a young boy. He was supposed to be the apprentice of a pilot. Frederic thinks his apprenticeship will be over soon so he decides to leave the pirates and take his maid Ruth who considers herself a fair, or beautiful woman with him.

Shortly after, Frederic agrees to take Ruth with him he meets a general and his young and beautiful daughters and falls in love with the fairest of them all, Mabel. Frederic is about to be released from his apprenticeship, but as Mrs. Doyle said he “finds out by some twist of fate that he is actually not.” Throughout the story Frederic is stuck between obeying the orders of the Pirate King and going with his love, Mabel.

This is no run of the mill musical. This musical is an operetta, which means that there is a large amount of richa tatev or singing dialogue. A musical that pays so much attention to singing detail was chosen because of the advancement of the vocal groups and students in the school.

The musical is different from anything ever done by the theater department because it was written in the 1800s. As Mrs. Doyle says “…it is unique because it has just stood the test of time and it is hysterically funny probably as funny as anything on Broadway right now.”

The production is also unique due to the free going copyright agreement. As Sydney Sheren said, “The copyright agreement on Pirates of Penance is much looser than other shows so from a crew perspective we are going to have a very detailed, cool looking set, and the costumes are going to be much more elaborate than in previous shows.”

The large and elaborate set will match the big joyous cast. The main characters of the musical are Frederic, Ruth, Mabel, the Pirate King, the Major General, the Sergeant of Police, Kate, Edith, and Isabel. Edward Hennessey plays Frederic who is the apprentice. Maggie Rempe plays Ruth the nursemaid. Maura Sitzmann plays the lovely Mabel. Leland Qua plays the Pirate King. Nick Auletti plays the Major General. Tyler Hill plays Samuel or the Pirate King’s right hand man. Jackson Parli is the Sergeant of Police. Claire Beaver (Kate), Molly Magee (Edith), and Maddy Seitles (Isabel) play the sisters and daughters of the general. There are also various pirates, police, and daughters as the ensemble.

Pirates of Penzance will be full of excitement with a big lighthearted cast. It is a great musical for all ages. Come down and support the drama club.