PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 18, 2014
CONTACT: Rashida Black, 773.702.3427
EMAIL: rashida@uchicago.edu

THE GILBERT and SULLIVAN OPERA COMPANY TAKES THE HELM OF THE “H.M.S. PINAFORE”
University Chamber Orchestra joins The Company for Annual University of Chicago Department of Music Performance Program Fundraiser

CHICAGO, Hyde Park – The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company will perform H.M.S. Pinafore – a satiric tale lampooning patriotism, politics and the British aristocracy — at the
University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall on March 14 – 16.

H.M.S. Pinafore – or the Lass That Loved a Sailor was Gilbert and Sullivan’s fourth collaboration and their first blockbuster hit. The comic operetta opened in London in 1898 and ran for 571 performances. When it premiered in Boston the following year, one critic wrote, “Going to Pinafore has become a mania.” The plot revolves around thwarted love between members of different social classes, namely the daughter of the gentlemanly Captain of the Pinafore who has fallen in love with a common sailor but is betrothed to the First Lord of the Admiralty. In true Gilbert and Sullivan fashion, true love reigns. The show includes such familiar songs as “I’m Called Little Buttercup,” “When I Was a Lad,” and “I am the Captain of the Pinafore.”

Stage director Charlie Marie McGrath joins the Company in its 54th production. Robert Whalen, Director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra, returns as music director. The talented cast includes some of The Company’s favorites from past productions as well as several outstanding newcomers. Nancy Levner is producer, along with associate producers Roger M. Huff and Cal Audrain.

Performances take place at Mandel Hall from March 14th through the 16th. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8:00 PM, with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be ordered online at H.M.S. Pinafore Tickets. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the ticket hotline, 773-702-2787, or by visiting the UChicago Arts Box Office in the Logan Center, 915 E. 60th Street,Tuesday through Saturday, 12-6 PM. Patron tickets are $50; general admission tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students and children under age 12. Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th Street, is located at the southwest corner of University Avenue and 57th Street in Hyde Park on the University of Chicago campus.

In conjunction with the production, the Company is sponsoring a free lecture – “The Secrets of H.M.S. Pinafore” – by Prof. Ralph MacPhail, Jr., director of the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Society of Austin at 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 6, University campus in Classics 110, located at 1010 E. 59th Street. The event includes songs by cast members of the upcoming Pinafore production and will be followed by refreshments. For more information, visit gilbertandsullivanoperacompany.org/secrets

The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Inc., is a non-profit community arts organization dedicated to performing the works of Gilbert & Sullivan to the highest artistic standards. It has been a mainstay of Chicago’s Hyde Park cultural scene since it was founded in 1964 by three local G&S fans: Nancy Lorie, Bob Ashenhurst, and Roland Bailey. Mark Johnson is president of the Company, which is supported by member donations, ticket sales, and local grants.

2014 marks the 30th consecutive year the proceeds from the annual production will benefit the Department of Music’s Performance Program, whose fourteen ensembles present more than 100 concerts each year made possible in part by the generous contributions of audience members, orchestra alumni, and other community supporters.

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QUICK FACTS
WHAT:
Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass That Loved a Sailor

WHO:
The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company
The University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra
Director: Charlie Marie McGrath
Conductor: Robert Whalen
Producer: Nancy Levner

WHEN:
Friday, March 14, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 15, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 16, at 2 p.m.

ADMISSION:
Tickets: $50 patron/$20 general/$5 students

FREE PRE-PRODUCTION LECTURE
Thursday, March 6, 4:30 p.m., 1010 E. 59th St.
Reservations at http://tinyurl.com/SecretsLectureRSVP

Thanks to our partners: