Published: October 28, 2009 07:56 am      

Students prepare 'Pirates' in 5 weeks

TRAVERSE CITY -- They got their extra week.

With a late Labor Day and corresponding late start to the school year, the cast and crew of Traverse City Central High School's "Pirates of Penzance" had just five weeks to pull together a complete musical production. Director Marilyn Tilley and her leadership team did consider moving their usual first- and second-weekends-in-November dates back a week.

Instead, everyone buckled down and forged ahead as planned.

Students in the cast rehearsed on a tightly-organized schedule while musicians in the pit orchestra mastered their music apace. Parent volunteers furiously built sets or sewed from scratch period costumes for the cast of 50 (28 girls and about ten guys had two costumes each.) A three-person crew painted a backdrop in overdrive.

Hand sanitizer flowed backstage and snacks were packaged individually in a quest to keep everyone healthy. Rehearsals continued despite illnesses -- last Friday half the leads were out -- with students picking up slack as needed.

It almost worked.

With Traverse City Area Public Schools closing schools until Nov. 3 due to the flu, rehearsals were also canceled. So the planned Nov. 5 debut of the Gilbert and Sullivan comedic opera has been pushed back to Nov. 12 after all.

"We are re-scheduling everything a week later," Tilley said. "If people have already purchased tickets for Nov. 5-8 (shows,) they can call the box office to redeem them for other nights."

The silver lining is that the past month's high-octane schedule will help everyone hit the ground running when rehearsals resume next week. The planned technical rehearsal will simply be held a week later.

"The shorter rehearsal period has forced the kids to work harder than ever," Tilley said. "It's a very talented cast -- both casts are outstanding. I recommend everyone try to see both."

The very model of a modern major general, senior Elliot Begley portrays the show's classically stuffy British officer with relish. A veteran of the school's Choral-Aires ensemble, he decided his high school experience would not be complete without participating in a musical. Deeming the inaugural experience "a blast," he agreed that the condensed time frame has actually been a boon.

"It's definitely an incentive for us to work harder because we know what's at hand," said Begley, who shares the role with Luke Friedli.

Central High School Choral director, Tami Grove, selected the rollicking show because it was such a good fit for students. In addition to a big cast that could accommodate so many of the school's talented voices, it allowed the actors to play up the British humor they understand so well.

"It has been a long time since CHS has done a Gilbert and Sullivan show and these shows are so student-friendly (vocally,)" Grove said. "The quality of vocal music is not difficult, however the quantity is overwhelming for some cast members to memorize, with many fast-moving lyrics and verses."

Perhaps the most musically challenging role is "Mabel," a part shared by Rebecca Dancer and Sarah Mikulski, both seniors. Throw in dancing and complex staging and these young singers have had a lot to master.

"They're not terribly hard by themselves but having to remember both..." Mikulski said.

"Pirates of Penzance" will feature a live pit orchestra comprised of 20 student musicians from the school. For Grove, their contributions are always a crucial piece of "magic" that creates a successful production, with this year's show offering extra challenges.

"The orchestral score is more taxing for the pit because since it is an Operetta, they are playing for the main duration of the show, with only a few short breaks for dialogue," she said. "The live music creates a professional ambiance and livens up our outdated auditorium."

'Pirates'

-- Where: Traverse City Central High School auditorium

-- When: Nov. 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 at 7 p.m.; Nov. 15 and 22 at 3 p.m.

-- How much: $15 for adults, $10 for students

-- Contact: box office at 933-3573, open weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. (calls will be covered while school is closed)

-- Note: tickets already purchased for shows on Nov. 5-8 may be redeemed for other nights