By james art 
What makes a work of art good?
Authors, playwrights, screenwriters, journalists, and regular Joes try to understand why certain stories and art forms just… work. And why them last.
And there is a common theme: Good art outlives its time. So she connected not only with the people of her era, but with humanity itself.
Thus, theater is a wonderful example of taking a work of art – years, decades, even centuries old – and breathing fresh life into its bones with modern direction.
Harrisburg’s own Gamut Theater Group aims to “tell classic stories in new and exciting ways.” They continue their mission this fall with The Pirates of Penzance by WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, the opening production of the theater’s 32nd season.
Director Benjamin Krumreig, an operetta lover and Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiast, has opened his heart to this production and operetta in general.
Krumreig received her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has performed, directed and choreographed Gilbert & Sullivan shows since 2012. Krumraig has edited and performed in many productions from the Gilbert & Sullivan canon. This will be his third production of The Pirates of Penzance.
(Oh, and he owns a shirt that says, “I might spontaneously start singing Gilbert and Sullivan.” So I’m pretty sure the guy knows what he’s doing.)
Opera is considered by some to be a dying art form in America. Some people in modern musical theater see operetta as old-fashioned and boring, while some people in traditional opera refuse to see it as sophisticated music. Also, with the development of modern musical theater, some patrons do not even know what operetta actually is, nor are they aware of the performances.
However, Krumreig promises: “You know something from ‘HMS Pinafore’ … and the same with ‘Pirates of Penzance’.”
While you might be surprised at first by the number of things you recognize from the genre, Krumraig said that’s because operetta was “the most popular art form.”
For all you Hamilton fans out there, remember how he quoted George Washington, “I am the foremost model of a modern Major General…” in The Right Hand? He directly quoted the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s homage to Gilbert and Sullivan is just one example of how fundamental operetta is to modern musical theater as we know it. Thus to ignore the operetta is to deny a critical player in the great history of the theatre.
Behind every note lies the pulse of a creative brain, long ago.
Each tune features a chorus of vocalists pouring their heart into the song.
Every line is a memory for all who have played before, on stages big and small.
“Every time I hear the beginning of [operetta’s] overture, it gives me a feeling … like a sense of purpose,” said Krumraig, discussing the importance of music.
When an operetta begins and the orchestra strikes its first note, they are simply playing as a result of the millions of instrumentalists, musicians, composers and others who have developed the craft to what it is today. Who have taken the time to preserve the dignity of music. Who have championed every violin sale, every piano tuning. Who captured the sounds of nature and carved the first set of strings out of a tree.
When you come to see The Pirates of Penzance, you are part of that legacy. Even if you’ve never heard the word operetta today, rest assured you won’t be disappointed.
When asked what success for this production would look like, Krumraig said that success is “keeping the music going in some way.”
So let’s do just that.
Here’s to music. Here’s to seeing theater with family and friends in the fall. It’s here to tell stories that make us laugh, cry, smile and think.
And here’s to keeping the music going!
“The Pirates of Penzance” runs Nov. 2 through Nov. 17 at the Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg. For more information visit www.gamuttheatre.org/pirates or call 717-238-4111.
UPCOMING EVENTS
At the Gamut Theatre
www.gamuttheatre.org
717-238-4111
The Pirates of Penzance
At Select Medical Mainstage
From November 2 to 17
Friday and Saturday from 7:30 p.m
Sunday at 2:30 p.m
The popcorn hat players
Currently “Stone Soup”
On the second stage of Alexander Grass
From November 6 to 23
Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m
Saturday from 1 p.m
TMI Improv
On the second stage of Alexander Grass
November 22 at 7:30 p.m
On an open stage
www.openstagehbg.com
717-232-6736
Big Wigs with Aggie Dunne and Ms. Kasha Davis
Vegas impersonation show
November 2
VIP Meet & Greet, 1 p.m
Show, 2 p.m
Black NewsBeat with Dr. Kimeka Campbell
Explore the life and community of Harrisburg
November 8 and 22, 7 p.m
“What a holiday!”
Studio Theater
Cindy Lou, who returns to tell her story.
9 to 24 November
EFF (Erotic Fan Fiction) Live!
The best of the worst fanfics for your entertainment and horror
November 15, 7:30 p.m
“A Christmas Carol”
The magical 25th annual production
Main scene
November 30 to December 22
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