08-10-07

Media Release

Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ to Open

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University Theatre will present the Gilbert and Sullivan musical, “H.M.S. Pinafore,” starting Aug. 16.

It will be performed Aug. 16-18 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Withycombe Hall Main Stage, 30th and Campus Way in Corvallis. Tickets are $12, or $9 for seniors and $7 for students and youths. Tickets can be purchased by calling the OSU box office at 541-737-2784.

The OSU University Theatre’s history of a summer Gilbert and Sullivan production started in 1909 with “The Mikado.” For 10 years, from 1989 until 1998, the University Theatre produced an annual Gilbert and Sullivan festival. The festival was discontinued in 1998, but OSU Theatre has continued the tradition of showcasing a Gilbert and Sullivan opera in the summer. This year, the musical will be a joint endeavor of the University Theatre and the Department of Music of Oregon State University.

“H.M.S. Pinafore” was Gilbert and Sullivan’s first musical, and remains popular today for its infectious tunes, silliness and social satire. The music is by Arthur Sullivan and libretto is by W.S. Gilbert. It originally debuted in London in 1878.

The two-act comedic opera’s plot is set on the naval ship Pinafore. A lower-class sailor is in love with the naval captain’s daughter, even though her father wishes for her to marry the First Lord of the Admiralty. The story involves surprise twists throughout, and popular songs such as “I’m Called Little Buttercup,” “For He Is an Englishman,” and “The Monarch of the Sea.”