The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 48, Ed. 1 Friday, April 8, 2011 Page: 5 of 8

                                
April 8, 2011
Arts
Page 5
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Top left: The actresses playing the daughters of Major-General Stanley look on with concern. Bottom left: Caleb Robinson (center), junior theatre major from Abilene,
portrays Major-General Stanley among a group of pirates and daughters during his feature musical number. Right: Andrew Lang, freshman theater major from Abilene,
portrays one of the many dynamic pirates in The Pirates of Penzance.
Energetic cast works hard for laughs
Sandra Amstutz
Arts Editor
On Thursday night, the ACU
Department of Theatre pre-
miered its final production
of the academic year. The
Pirates of Penzance, directed
by Kari Hatfield, assistant
professor of theatre, weaves a
tale of tender-hearted pirates,
an incompetent police force,
a major general, a bustling
group of sisters and a young
man trying to find his place
among them all. The play,
written in 1879 by Arthur Sul-
livan andW.S. Gilbert, makes
use of a very large cast and is
filled with constant comedy
and music that will make you
want to join the dahce num-
bers on stage.
Jace Reinhard, freshman
theatre major from Green-
ville, 111., holds the role of
Frederic, the naive pirate ap-
prentice that longs for love
and a civilized life. Reinhard
fills his performance with
charm and remains fresh
faced throughout fast-paced
musical numbers and a plot
that requires him to interact
with almost every cast mem-
ber. Frederic’s nurse, Ruth, is
played by Kelley Barker, ju-
nior theatre major from Mes-
quite, who really comes alive
in the second act.
Providing the play with
its most operatic moments is
Brynn Smith, sophomore the-
ater major from Fort Worth,
who plays Frederic’s beloved,
Mabel. Smith beautifully pro-
cures the show’s most chal-
lenging notes and provides
calm moments among the
craziness. Mabel’s father is
Major-General Stanley and
is nobly portrayed by Caleb
Robinson, junior theater ma-
jor from Abilene. Robinson
doesn’t break a sweat when
he takes on the iconic and ri-
diculously rapid song, “I Am
the Very Model of a Modem
Major-General.”
In addition to these lead
characters are the pirates, Ma-
jor-General Stanley’s daugh-
ters and policemen that aren’t
afraid to fill the theater and
interact with the audience.
The daughters maintain a
balance of fear and flirtation
while the policemen create
an air of uniformed inepti-
tude. Having the most obvi-
ous fun on stage are the pi-
rates. These men fill the show
with weapons, dancing and
acrobatics. While all the cast
members work well in the
various groups, two stand out
because of their excellent co-
medic timing. Andrew Lang,
freshman theatre major from
Abilene, and Brittany Taylor,
senior theatre major from
Saginaw, never miss an op-
portunity to provide a laugh.
Amid this large cast, the
character that will constantly
grab your attention is the Pi-
rate King. Peter Hargrave, ju-
nior theatre major from Ama-
rillo, performs this role with
never-ending energy. In con-
trast to Frederic, the Pirate
King has no qualms about his
profession and relishes be-
ing as rakish and audacious
as possible. Hargrave’s affec-
tion for this character shows
as he excitedly milks his ev-
ery move for comedic effect.
In addition to his abound-
ing body language, Hargrave
improvises great pieces of
dialogue during hectic scenes
that are worth paying extra
attention to.
•/#
Tying together all of these
performances are an amazing
set of songs. The music of The
Pirates of Penzance maintains
relevance despite being over
130 years old. Many of these
numbers will most likely be
recognizable because they
continue to be sampled and
parodied to this day.
The Pirates of Penzance is
a classic that almost should
be required viewing for any
cultured individual. However,
more important than its his-
tory, is its ability to provide
plenty of laughter. Shows will
continue Friday, Saturday
and April 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. in
Fulks Theater. Tickets are $15
and can purchased at the Wil-
liams Performing Arts Center
box office or online at www.
acu.edu/theatre.
contact Amstutz at
sla07a@acu.edu
Peter Hargrave, junior theatre major from
Amarillo, raucously portrays the Pirate King.
Photos by SANDRA AMSTUTZ // Arts Editor
Abilene Events
FRIDAY
Aaron Gillespie, Timothy
Palmer, & Confession Booth
7    p.m.
Monks Coffee Shop
SATURDAY
Bee Butler feat. Isaac Wright
8    p.m.
Monks Coffee Shop
THURSDAY
The Bright Light Social Hour,
Hunters & Gatherers, and
Hungry, Mother
7:30 p.m.
Play Faire Family Fun Center
ACU Events
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
SHADES show
7:30 p.m.
Cullen Auditorium
TUESDAY
The Consul
2 p.m.
Cullen Auditorium
App of the Week
IntoNow
Social Net-
Iff
working
★★★★★
IntoNow is
somewhat of a hybrid be-
tween Shaazam and IMDB.
Simply hold the microphone
of the device up to a television
and the app will identify what
show and episode' is playing.
IntoNow can identify any epi-
sode that has aired in the past
five years. Once an episode is
indentified the user is provided
with links to its IMDB, Netflix
and iTunes pages. IntoNow is
a free app available for devic-
es with at least iOS 4.0.
New Releases
IN THEATERS
Arthur
(Warner Bros)
Apr. 8
Hanna
(Focus Features)
Apr. 8
Your Highness
(Universal)
Apr. 8
Soul Surfer
pimDistrict)
Apr. 8
Born to Be Wild
(Warner Bros.)
Apr. 8
Ceremony
(Magnolia Pictures)
Apr. 8
Exodus Fall
(Oakhurst Pictures)
Apr. 8
DVD
The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Voyage of the
Dawn Treader
(Summit Entertainment)    Apr. 8
The Paranoids
(Oscilloscope)
Apr: 12
Heartless
(IFC Films)
Apr. 12
Country Strong
(Sony Pictures)
Apr. 12
White Material
(IFC Films)
Apr. 12
MUSIC
Foo Fighters
Wasted -Light
Apr. 12
Atmosphere
The Family Sign
Apr. 12
Bell X1
Bloodless Coup
Apr. 12
Crystal Stilts
In Love With Oblivion
Apr. 12
Brett Dennen
Loverboy
Apr. 12
The Feelies
Here Before
Apr. 12
Holy Ghost!
Holy Ghost!
Apr. 12
Low
C'rrion
Apr. 12
Meat Puppets
Lollipop m
Apr. 12
Agnes Obel
Philharmonics
Apr. 12
Panda Bear
Tomboy
Apr. 12
The Pretty Reckless
Light Me Up
Apr. 12
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