Edited by Randi Bjornstad
It’s been a few years since Eugene has been invaded by pirates, but it will happen on Oct. 3 and 5, 2025, when The Pirates of Penzance — one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s most popular operettas — takes to the stage at Eugene’s Hult Center for the Performing Arts.
In fact, it’s been seven years since Eugene Opera last staged a Gilbert & Sullivan show, and The Pirates of Penzance, which first premiered in the United States in 1879, has been among the most popular.
(The complete list of the collaboration of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan includes The Pirates of Penzance; The Mikado; H.M.S. Pinafore; The Yeomen of the Guard; The Gondoliers; Ruddigore; Trial by Jury; Three Little Maids from School Are We; Princess Ida; Thespis; Utopia; The Grand Duke; and The Sorceror.)
Taken together, these lighthearted, often comical operas as a group became known as Savoy Opera, because the Savoy Theatre in London — which opened on Oct. 10, 1881 — was the place many had their premieres. In fact, the Savoy originally was built by Richard D’Oyly Carte, an English composer and theatrical agent, specifically to be the home of Gilbert & Sullivan’s works.
This production of The Pirates of Penzance marks the beginning of Eugene Opera’s 49th season. It tells the comic tale of a young man named Frederic (who is scheduled to complete his apprenticeship as a pirate on his 21st birthday) and who in the meantime has fallen madly in love with Mabel, the major general’s daughter. The plot thickens when it turns out that Frederick, whose birthday is Feb. 29, therefore has really had only five official birthdays and so he technically can’t end his apprenticeship. How can he resolve this conundrum between love of a woman and honoring his commitment to his pirate crewmates?
But Andrew Bisantz, Eugene Opera’s artistic director and conductor — and who has a national reputation for his work both with grand opera and operetta — says that somewhat unbelievable plot shouldn’t deter audience appreciation.
“Some opera companies dismiss operetta as not serious enough to warrant their attention,” Bisantz said in announcing the production. “But comedy is serious business. Gilbert & Sullivan’s work is masterful in its wit, satire, and musical invention, and Eugene Opera has always embraced their brilliance.”
The cast of Eugene Opera’s 2025 production of The Pirates of Penzance features Véronique Filloux as Mabel and Derrek Stark as Frederic, plus David Macaluso as Major General Stanley, Bill Hulings as The Pirate King, Victoria Livengood as Ruth, and Craig Phillips as the Sergeant of Police.
The Pirates of Penzance at Eugene Opera
(Special note: The Pirates of Penzance is sung in English, and the lyrics will be projected above the stage.)
When: 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025
Where: Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Center (Sixth and Willamette streets in Eugene)
Tickets: $36/$52/$68/$84 (youth tickets $10 for ages 12 years and younger), available online at hultcenter.org or eugeneopera.org or through the Hult Center box office, 541-682-5000
Details: Run time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 2o-minute intermission
