1h 52m / G / Comedy, Musical, Romance
TRAILER:
VENUE: Historic Duncan Auditorium
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Based on the Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance is the story of a young man, Frederick (played by singer/actor/heartthrob Rex Smith), who by a combination of unlucky circumstances gets apprenticed by his dotty nursemaid (Angela Landsbury) to the king of pirates (Kevin Kline). Just as his term of indenture is about to end, Frederick stumbles upon a bevy of beautiful maidens and begs one of them to marry him so that he may start a new life. Mabel (Linda Ronstadt), the kindest-hearted of them all, agrees. But that’s just Act 1. It turns out that Frederick’s contract has a loophole that leaves him officially a pirate until he’s in his eighties, Mabel’s dad is retired military and influential with local law enforcement, and none of the pirate band are exactly who they claim to be.
This film version of The Pirates of Penzance itself can claim a strange lineage. It’s based on a comedy of manners and the British class system from the 1870s, but it’s an aggressively creative adaptation (even including songs from other plays!) by one of the most influential stage producers of the 20th century, Joe Papp, who established The Public Theater and founded Shakespeare in the Park. Its original theatrical release was simultaneous with a pay-per-view release on cable TV, an unprecedented idea that no major studio tried again until Trolls World Tour in 2020. And of course the cast was a combination of actors and pop singers. Then again, ask the Major General — sometimes you have to break the rules if you want to get anything accomplished.
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Before enjoying THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, join us at 6:00pm for the FREE community event, "MARCH OF THE BLACK HUSSARS: VIENNESE OPERETTA IN AMERICA — a documentary following University of Tampa students and faculty as they unearth a forgotten comic opera celebrating German nationalism that was wildly popular in Gilded Age America.
And stay for a performance on stage of one of the operetta’s songs and a panel discussion with the filmmakers! for more information visit
https://tampatheatre.org/movie/march-of-the-black-hussars-viennese-operetta-in-america/
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