The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-25
THE 1. SOCIAL ! (. ]! 1 EVENT
OF EAS TERI. EASON|
Opera Pirates Of Penzance to be
Given BY Amateurs:
NELL. D DRILLED COMPANY.
The Opera Will be Presented for the
Benefit of the Rosemary Public Lis
brary-The Caste is a Strong
one and the Chorus Large.

The opera, Pirates OF Penzance,
which will be given at the Academy of
Music, by a large and we!l-drilled com.
pany of society people. on Easter Mon
day and Tuesday nights, will be the great
social event OF the season. This mas
.ter-piece Of Gilbert and Sullivan, though
unknown to many of the younger gen
Grafton. was produced at the old Rich
mond Theatre by D'Oyly Carte's. ceie-z
brateo company, and ran for tour sue
ceSSire nights to crowded houses. 1t us
satire, presented in two acts, and. While
It is classed as light opera, 1t abounds
in beautiful melodies and intricate con-
cert music.
The opera will be presented under the
same management which produced so
charmingiy Chimes of Normandy in
April, 1895, and it will be given for the
benefit of the Rosemary Public Library.
This is a most worthy cause, and of itself
bespeaks the patronage of the public;
but the opera will be produced on such
a scale that it will doubtless on its
merits draw crowded houses on each
occasion. The caste is very strong
one, indeed, and includes singers from
Boston, New York. Norfolk, Texas and
Richmond, and will be supported by
chorus Of some fifty voices. Contrary
10 the custom of selling tickets through
the city for charitable entertainments.
these performances will be conducted just
as professional entertainments are. The
box-otticc will be opened after due
announcement and tickets will be sold
there only. The double male chorus VIII
be exceptionally strong and fine. Pro
fcssor Jacob Reinhart has been drilling
the company musically, which is a guar
antee that in this respect the opera will
come up to the highest expectations
THE plot.
The plot turns on the adventures OF
set of very my thical pirates on the Corn
ish coast who are SO excessively tender
hearted that their business is rather
improbable. One OF the members OIL
the band is a youth, named Frederic,
who is Appended to the pirates untll
his twenty-tirst birthday. He is beloved
by the Observation-Disclosures of the band, a
mature da1nscl, named Ruth, whom he
almost promises to marry. AT this
juncture a hevy of the fair daughters
Of Major-General Stanley appear on the
scene and Frederic, who has never seen
any other woman than Ruth, is over
come by their beauty. and, by sense
Of the iniquity of his calling at the
same time. offers himself a willing sac
rfice to any one of the troupe VINO VIII
take him. In spite of a not unreason-
able desire to be married. none. OF the
young damsels can reconcile themselves
to becoming a pirates wife, and all
refuse, when suddenly Mabel, the young
est daughter, appears, and announces
her intention of undertaking the reforrna-
ton of the poor young man. Iney
embrace. and things are satisfactorily
arranged. The Major-General then
appears on the scene, and the first act
ends with a surprise by the pirates, who
are about to hustle their prizes off, when
the Major-General informs the leader
that he is an orphan, w5hereupon the
pirates, struck with contrtion, grant
him and his children their liberty.
THE SECOND ACT
In the second act Frederic is about
to start with a detachment of policemen
to arrest his former comrades when the
pirate king and Ruth appear, ana prove
to him by fndisputable evidence that his
term Of apprenticeship has not yet
expired, owing to the fact that he was
born on the 10Th Of February, and viii
not. therefore, have reached his twenty
frs, birthday until 1910. Overwhelmed
by this announcement, and torn by MS
love for Mabel, conflicting with his ever
present sense OF aEtE, fItutilc "aVei9 p
and finally decides that duty commands
him to fulfil his term of indenture, and.
therefore, to 1ejoin the pirates. After
he has done so his comrades decide to
undertake the capture of Major-Gencral
Stanley, who they discover is not an
orphan after all. and Frederic is forced
to accompany them. While In the act
of carrying off the General they are
attacked by the police squad whom they
yanuuish The Sergeant Of Police, now
ever, summons them to surrender In the
name of Queen Victoria, and their Briton
LOYALTY constrains them to acquiesce.
rThereuron Ruth announces that the
pirates are all noblemen in disguise.
and the AIajcr-General Is only too glad
to marry his daughters to the lordly
buccaneers; and all ends merrily, as we'll
condi toned burlesque should.