A band of gentlemanly pirates will soon land on stage at Sandburg Middle School as the Elmhurst Children’s Theatre puts on its version of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan musical comedy “Pirates of Penzance.”
The play includes a number of well-known tunes, including the signature “I am the very model of a modern Major-General,” in which that modern officer in quick tempo declaims his broad knowledge of all things “vegetable, animal and mineral.”
The play follows the adventures and misadventures of Frederic, an orphan mistakenly apprenticed to a band of pirates who turn out to be less than fierce, sympathetic to orphans and in the end patriotic to England’s Queen Victoria.
Frederic is played by Oliver Roy, an eighth grader at Sandburg in his fourth show with the group.
“I just think it’s a cool way to show your talents and abilities,” Roy said. “It’s a way to express yourself in different ways and have fun.”
Roy explained that a mix-up over Frederic’s leap year birthday sets the stage for conflicts to be resolved by play’s end.
Ava Gecsey, another Sandburg eighth grader, plays Mabel, who meets and falls in love with Frederic. For her, acting is a chance to be someone else and “go out of your comfort zone.”
Other major parts are played by 14-year old Ben Plaisted, acting in his 10th show, and Laney Toffler, another troupe veteran acting in her seventh show.
The show is directed by Jeremy Nemec, who teaches music at Conrad Fischer Elementary School in Elmhurst. Sarah Giordano is music director, assisted by Phil Videckis. Choreography is by Allyssa O’Donnell.
Nemec said the show has been challenging for the 39 young actors in the cast.
“It’s a professional level show and they have really stepped up to the challenge,” he said. “And the parents have been absolutely fantastic.”
The Elmhurst Children’s Theatre offers children in fifth through eighth grade who live in Elmhurst or attend District 205 or parochial schools in Elmhurst the chance to audition for the group’s productions. The group stages two main stage productions, a summer show and the Unintentionally Hilarious Sketch Comedy Troupe each year.
Elmhurst Children’s Theatre’s roots go back to 1937 at Elmhurst College, when directors there began presenting plays for children.
It’s showtime
What: “Pirates of Penzance”
When: 7 p.m. on April 26 and 27; and 2 p.m. on April 27 and 28
Where: Sandburg Middle School auditorium, 345 E. St. Charles Road, Elmhurst
Tickets: $8 at the door