Anchors Aweigh for ‘Pirate’ Laughter

The Westmont Opera Orchestra and more than a dozen cast members will sing, dance and swashbuckle their way through Pirates of Penzance, a hilarious story of adventure, danger and romance on Friday, Jan. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 25, both at 7 pm in Porter Theatre. 

“Pirates is a roaring fun show that allows for flexibility in how we can feature our students,” says Ruth Lin, who directs the music with Christina Jensen (Farris) (’09), the production’s stage director. “It allows us to have someone who’s never done opera to have a meaningful part without them being overwhelmed, and meaty lead parts which show off the amazing talents of our students, and everywhere in between.

“Opera is always special to me because there are so many moving pieces, and the stars have to align for it to work, and I am always amazed at the way our students and faculty come together to make it happen! Pirates has even more moving pieces, with lots of comedic moments that will allow our students to experience the joy and mayhem that is this show!”

Senior Melissa Ellsworth, who has performed in the opera every year at Westmont, says she continues to grow as a singer. “When I came to Westmont I had never sung opera, so it’s been really fun to get to be a part of the Westmont Opera productions these past four years and learn how to sing in that style,” she says. 

Ellsworth says she is most looking forward to putting together a super fun show for people to enjoy and laugh at. “Each of the directors are so amazing and talented at what they do, I’m excited to see their vision come to life as we are developing our characters and partaking in some pirate shenanigans,” she says.