Production Script

Words by WS Gilbert Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan Adapted and updated by Simon Gallaher PRODUCTION SCRIPT www.stagerights.com THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE by WS Gilbert & Sir Arthur Sullivan, adapted by Simon Gallaher Copyright © 1994 by Esgee Entertainment All Rights Reserved All performances and public readings of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE are subject to royalties. It is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, of all countries covered by the International Copyright Union, of all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention, and of all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations. All rights are strictly reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronics, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Publication of this play does not necessarily imply that it is available for performance by amateurs or professionals. It is strongly recommended all interested parties apply to Steele Spring Stage Rights for performance rights before starting rehearsals or advertising. No changes shall be made in the play for the purpose of your production without prior written consent. All billing stipulations in your license agreement must be strictly adhered to. No person, firm or entity may receive credit larger or more prominent than that accorded the Author. For all stage performance inquiries, please contact: Steele Spring Stage Rights 3845 Cazador Street Los Angeles, CA 90065 (323) 739-0413 www.stagerights.com INTRODUCTION Gilbert and Sullivan wrote the most popular operettas in the history of English theatre. They are probably even more famous than Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and certainly as English as bacon and eggs or roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Indeed, their fame is so great, it rests as securely on their initials as on their names. To anyone who loves music theatre, 'G&S' means melody, irreverence, wit and fun. Essgee Entertainment has thoroughly updated three of these Victorian operetta (HMS Pinafore, The Mikado and The Pirates Of Penzance) allowing today's theatregoer a fresh look at these classics. Almost all the original songs and tunes are included though and despite the 'pop feel' of many of the chorus numbers the most beautiful solos are untouched. The end product is true to the spirit of Gilbert and Sullivan, but much more accessible for today’s audiences. CHARACTERS Principals (5m, 5f) The Pirate King Samuel – his lieutenant Frederic Ruth – a pirate maid Major-General Stanley Mabel – his daughter Major-General’s Daughters – a minimum of three : Edith, Isabel and Kate The Sergeant Chorus The band of Pirates (male) More daughters of the Major-General (optional) THE PRODUCTION This is pure musical theatre with some pantomime elements ... it is NOT an operetta for the G&S purist! Whilst this production has pantomime elements, it should not descend into farce, and the use of as many of the fun elements as possible should not detract from the overall direction of the show. Gilbert wrote operetta to be amusing, entertaining and enjoyable. What is required of this updated G&S work is that a modern audience can laugh along with it, given that their taste in music, their expectations of a night out, and their attention span are all vastly different today than they were in Victorian times. Today’s audiences, used to modern musical theatre styles, should find this production acceptable, although it may be hard to convince some traditionalists of the validity of this production style. Once you accept though that it is musical theatre based on a well-known story, and is NOT operetta, then the orchestration, the performance style, the characterisation and the necessary production marketing all fall neatly into place. Having said that, the potential Director of a production of this musical theatre version of ‘The Pirates Of Penzance’ will need to be a) confident that he/she is able to ‘think outside of the box’ and direct it as musical theatre and not standard G&S, and b) will need to build his/her production from two sources. The script and scores that are supplied form the basic framework upon which the production can be assembled. With a number of exceptions, the words and music are familiar as those written by G&S, but it is the stage business performed by the cast that really distinguishes this version from a ‘standard’ production. Some of this (marked {Business}) is contained in the script, but all of it can be seen on the DVD that accompanies this musical. The Director is encouraged to use as much of the business employed in the original 1994 stage production as is possible given the constraints of the venue, the cast (and the willingness of the MD and orchestra to play along). The performing licence includes the rights to use or adapt this business. There are a number of things in the DVD that perhaps should be explained. Jon English is a well known figure in the Australian entertainment industry … a rock star; a TV star, a writer/composer and a theatre actor … so it’s not surprising that audiences warmed quickly to his portrayal of the Pirate King. His chest-baring and love of swinging over the audience’s heads on a rope are classic Jon English trademarks, and his easy-going interplay with MD Kevin Hocking, the band and indeed the audience made a real departure from the usual G&S production style. The opening number provides a lovely cameo of some other G&S titles and forms both a delightful prologue and, with a velcro’d costume for Ruth, is a clever way of quick-starting the first act. During that opening number, there are two female characters who climb out of the box as Iolanthian fairies and later appear during the Megamix Finale as stooges in the auditorium as Jon English swings out on his rope (but he could have simply jumped off the stage) to ‘collect’ them dressed as two ‘ushers’ and bring them back on stage. There are times on stage during this production where it is acceptable for an actor to divert from the accepted norm of not speaking to the band or audience, or, out of character, to other members of the cast, and indeed part of the fun in performing this version is just that. The Pirate King, the Major-General and to some extent Edith, Kate and Isabel (after Mabel, the three principal daughters of the Major-General) are able to enjoy a certain amount of freedom of expression! This freedom does not apply to any other member of the cast, even in the Megamix Finale, where although the style of this number is considerably ‘relaxed’, only the characters mentioned above should interact with the audience (although the cast should appear to look worried if the Pirate King is absent in the auditorium and backstage just prior to his curtain call). The DVD shows a number of non-G&S set pieces of business, which are very funny if properly executed. The prime example is the series of encores at the end of ‘With Cat Like Tread’, although there are several others. There are also a number of running gags (eg the Pirate King nearly always manages to catch a sword by the blade instead of the handle, resulting in grimaces and pain etc; Ruth constantly mothering the pirates and trying to cover up the Pirate King’s chest etc). Casting the roles of the Pirate King, together with Edith, Kate and Isabel needs to be undertaken with some care as much of the sparkle of the show flows from their performances. A very imperfect pantomime simile would be that these are the Dame and the ugly sisters. It is imperfect because the characters are far removed from playing pantomime, but in some senses they are distantly related. The number of people in the chorus can be as in the professional production (10-12 men) or extended to cater for more members (particularly additional daughters for the Major-General). However, it should be borne in mind that the male chorus (or at least a good proportion of them) need to be competent dancers/performers. Choreography and movement in general needs to be slick and competently executed to keep the momentum of the production cracking along. In most of the numbers where the pirates (and where used, additional daughters) are singing, they should be choreographed to dance or move energetically to create a lot of bustle and activity on the stage, (often missing from the ‘choral’, rather static, traditional versions of G&S operetta). Directors are encouraged to use a separate choreographer and/or dance captain. This is musical theatre, after all! The single adaptable set as used in the 1994 production lends itself well to the needs of the show. The raised platform at the back behind which the trucked-in ship ‘floats’ and in front of which the steps down to the stage provides for easy entrances and exits. Two side exits with double self-closing swing doors provide additional facilities for the cast to enter and leave on one level. During the interval the Major-General’s ruined chapel is flown in or erected on the raised platform. Many venues will not allow the cast to walk around the orchestra at stage level, but it may be possible when using the six-piece orchestra, to cover the two side edges of the pit and thus allow the cast to use a forestage at both sides of the stage to get closer to the audience.

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