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A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
The Pirate King and Ruth (brandishing a sword and soup ladle, respectively) threaten to capture the Major General's daughter and her young wards and turn them into pirates.
Frederick had planned to give up the life of a pirate on his 21st birthday, only to discover he was born on Leap Day, so he tries to figure out exactly how many birthdays he has really had with help from the audience.
When the Little Opera of the North came to Churchill Elementary School Friday, it wasn't only the professional cast members who performed "The Pirates of Penzance." More than 50 students became part of the production, and the gymnasium became a seashore where pirates and members of the upper class threatened and flirted and finally made peace, in honor of the Queen.
Music teacher Regina Roemhildt said there was a larger-than-usual number of kids in the cast and the chorus, and the show kept the audience of first- through fourth-graders rapt, along with many parents who came to watch.
In addition to being fun, music activates almost all regions of the brain, Roemhildt said. "It's part of a well-balanced diet that involves well-being, learning, cognitive function, quality of life, social and cultural connections and happiness!"
A grant from the Cloquet Education Foundation paid for the visit. Roemhildt prepared the kids for the performance - whether they were in the show or just watching - utilizing advance materials from Little Loon, which adapts its shows for elementary school audiences.
The silly twists and turns of "The Pirates of Penzance" are already very suitable. The opera tells the story of a young man, Frederick, who decides to become a law-abiding citizen and fall in love on his 21st birthday, only to find that he was born on Feb. 29. That means he has celebrated only five birthdays and must remain a pirate. All sorts of silliness ensues.
Roemhildt said her students were really revved up about the show, including a fourth-grader who exclaimed that this was "the best day of my life" after waking up at 4 a.m. and not being able to go back to sleep because she was so excited.
It was rewarding for Roemhildt, too.
"Watching my students' faces and reactions brings me to my happy place," she said. "The moments when they think 'how do they do that' or 'that is so beautiful.'"
After the show, cast members took questions from the young audience members. How did soprano Caroline Kouma learn to sing so high, one child asked.
Part nature, part practice, was the answer. "Everyone's voice is different," Kouma said. "No one else has had a voice that's exactly like yours. If your voice is naturally high you can keep practicing and learning how to do it."
It's never too late to start singing, added baritone Mark Billy, the Pirate King, who didn't start singing until college.
