Sauja said: "I confess that I don't know Pirates of Penzance at all. Is she well cast as Ruth? Loved her in Little Shop!"
Yeah she is (for some idea, Angela Lansbury played her in the film of the Papp revival.) The Gilbert and Sullivan :"type" that character fills (there's a similar character in most of their operettas) has been played in drag in the past.
(I just have to say I hate the new title Pirates! The Penzance Musical. Isn't it set in New Orleans and so doesn't even have anything to do with Penzance anymore? Although it strikes me that lots of modern audiences don't get the joke of the title--the ridiculousness that there would be pirates of Penzance England....)
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
EricMontreal22 said: "Sauja said: "I confess that I don't know Pirates of Penzance at all. Is she well cast as Ruth? Loved her in Little Shop!"
Yeah she is (for some idea, Angela Lansbury played her in the film of the Papp revival.) The Gilbert and Sullivan :"type" that character fills (there's a similar character in most of their operettas) has been played in drag in the past.
(I just have to say I hate the new title Pirates! The Penzance Musical. Isn't it set in New Orleans and so doesn't even have anything to do with Penzance anymore? Although it strikes me that lots of modern audiences don't get the joke of the title--the ridiculousness that there would be pirates of Penzance England....)"
I was with a friend when we saw this announcement and we had the exact same reaction to the title. "The Penzance Musical" makes no sense. And yes, the joke is that Penzance is a beach resort town- something that is just not common knowledge for contemporary American audiences.
Jinkx should be a great fit for Ruth, though. I would probably rather her do Oh Mary, but in this instance she'd be eligible for awards.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
this is so crazy; I bought a ticket for the show in April on a whim (mostly loving the idea of David Hyde Pierce as the MG), and now I also get to see Jinkx on the same night! what luck!!
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "She must have offers galore nowadays. Surprised this is the one she accepted...but perhaps loves the material or vibed well with Scott Ellis."
She must have an affection for it- one doesn't do nonprofit shows for the money, certainly.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
Kad said: "EricMontreal22 said: "Sauja said: "I confess that I don't know Pirates of Penzance at all. Is she well cast as Ruth? Loved her in Little Shop!"
Yeah she is (for some idea, Angela Lansbury played her in the film of the Papp revival.) The Gilbert and Sullivan :"type" that character fills (there's a similar character in most of their operettas) has been played in drag in the past.
(I just have to say I hate the new title Pirates! The Penzance Musical. Isn't it set in New Orleans and so doesn't even have anything to do with Penzance anymore? Although it strikes me that lots of modern audiences don't get the joke of the title--the ridiculousness that there would be pirates of Penzance England....)"
I was with a friend when we saw this announcement and we had the exact same reaction to the title. "The Penzance Musical" makes no sense. And yes, the joke is that Penzance is a beach resort town- something that is just not common knowledge for contemporary American audiences.
Jinkx should be a great fit for Ruth, though. I would probably rather her do Oh Mary, but in this instance she'd be eligible for awards."
The funny thing about "Pirates of Penzance" being an ironic and absurd title is that it sort of un-joked itself over time. Not only are "pirates" and "Penzance" almost synonymous now due to the operetta being one of the main pirate works, Penzance is in Cornwall. The "pirate accent" as we know it today is mostly based on Cornish dialect- note how George Rose in particular goes very Cornish when he's mocking the pirates in the "orphan boy" sequence. ("Arrrrphan biyeeee.")