Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, New Level Productions and Julian Stoneman are have announced a new and vibrant revival of Gilbert and Sullivan’s hugely popular The Pirates of Penzance. Pirates!, a bold reinvention of their universally renowned and celebrated show loved by audiences the world over, is conceived, directed and choreographed by Daryl Gray, and will open in the UK in 2019.
140 years after The Pirates of Penzance was first performed, perhaps the most famous comic opera ever written in English is being reimagined by Daryl Gray as a danced-through musical, with new arrangements and orchestrations by Grammy Award-winner Steve Sidwell.
Set on the Cornish coast, Frederic, a pirate apprentice has turned 21 and reminds the pirate king that his apprenticeship is over and, at noon, he will no longer be under obligation to the pirates. On the same day, he meets and falls in love with Mabel, the youngest daughter of Major-General Stanley, the enemy of the pirates. To add to Frederic’s woes, he learns that, because he was born on 29 February during a leap year, he has, in fact, only served five of his birthdays and so is still under contract to the pirates.
Daryl Gray began his career as an actor and dancer. On Broadway, he appeared in Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and was a soloist in On Your Toes. He also appeared with Maurice Béjart and as a guest artist with numerous dance companies both in the US and around the world.
Pirates! will be directed and choreographed by Daryl Gray and designed by Morgan Large, with lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound by Terry Jardine and Luke Swaffield for Autograph Sound, orchestrations & arrangements by Steve Sidwell and casting by Gabrielle Dawes, CDG.
