"Pirates Of Penzance" Weekend - Attentive Babies

Left: "Climbing Over Rocky Mountains". Entrance of General Stanley's daughters (left to right: Rhiannon Guevin, Elsbeth Poe, and Katie Baad).


So far, things are going well this weekend. Saturday night, especially, felt strong.

Joe the Plumber came with friends on Friday. Joe enjoyed the show, but after a challenging week, fatigued, he couldn't help but doze a bit in the theater darkness. The women in his party apparently enjoyed themselves immensely, however.




Left: Jessica Bean and Elsbeth Poe.

Tonight, just before showtime, Lenore Sebastian, Scott Griffith, and myself were talking about the importance of dressing well, in daily life, as well as for formal occasions. Clueless fashion-wise for most of my life, as I get older, I appreciate this viewpoint more and more.

Lenore quoted the famous statement: "Clothes make the man!" Scott added: "You need to dress like what you want to be, not what you are!" I eagerly assented: "That's why I'm going to dress like a gigolo!"

(My cluelessness applies to more than just fashion...)





A Man!


















A Pirate! Horrors!


















(yet he seems to sing well...)


















Left: Ruth (Lenore Sebastian), Frederick (Travis Nagler), and the Pirate King (Brian McCann).

It's been very interesting watching the reactions of children to "The Pirates Of Penzance": they universally love it! They laugh and laugh! I would never have expected this reaction, given the challenging, complicated, and slightly-antiquated English in use. Nevertheless, kids seem to instinctively understand the silliness of the show, and particularly appreciate a show that doesn't insult their intelligence, doesn't stoop to the lowest common denominator, but lifts them to a higher level of pure fun.

Left: General Stanley (Paul Fearn), and daughters.

Interestingly, the appeal of Gilbert and Sullivan extends to even the very youngest. On Saturday evening, in the front row, a woman held a wide-eyed baby, maybe six months old. The baby remained attentive through most of Act I, and the entirety of Act II, never made any kind of fuss, and seemed to be absolutely captivated throughout.

Lessons for Joe, and the rest of us! Emulate the baby: less-fatiguing weeks for all!