‘Pirates of Penzance’ tour comes to Bothell

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, April 19, 2007

Be prepared for a trip back to London in the days of blushing maidens, scalawags and dashing leading men as England’s oldest touring company presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance.”

But remember you only have to go to Bothell for this production, which plays Monday at the Northshore Performing Arts Center.

The Carl Rosa Opera Company is England’s oldest and is known for its satire, costumes and genuine acting. The troupe’s goal is to train young company members and to bridge the gap between opera and popular music while offering new innovations.

The story follows Frederic, an apprenticed pirate who hates pirating but got involved because his nurse misheard the instructions that he be raised a “pilot.”

Through a series of twists and turns, Frederic manages to leave the gullible group of pirates, who always believe their captors are orphans and free them, and falls in love with a major general’s daughter. In the end, everyone, pirates included, finds their right spots in life.

“Come Blow Your Horn”: Neil Simon’s classic comedy is the season opener for the Camwood Players.

The show, opening Sunday, runs through May 5 at Stillaguamish Grange, 6521 Pioneer Highway, Stanwood.

Manhattan playboy Alan Baker thinks he has it made until his timid brother Buddy moves in with him to escape their father. Alan’s bachelor world is further rocked when his girlfriend begins demanding a greater commitment. Then mom decides she needs to escape dad too.

“Edward Scissorhands”: This is a new dance theater show that boasts of a bold way to tell the story of a boy and a community who struggle with his being different.

The show opens Wednesday at The 5th Avenue Theatre and runs through May 13.

This is a touching and witty gothic fairytale about Edward, created by an eccentric inventor who dies leaving him alone and with scissors for hands. Edward struggles to find his place in a strange new suburban world where the community is challenged to look beyond his uniqueness to find the real boy inside.

Tim Burton wrote the original story and directed the motion picture. The cast includes 31 dancers.

“Rhoda: A Life in Stories”: Book-It Repertory Theatre takes author Ellen Gilchrist’s best-selling novel and weaves more than 10 short stories into a compelling look into the life of Rhoda Kathering Manning.

The show opens tonight and runs through May 12 at Seattle Center House Theatre.

Set in the 1940s through the 1990s, we watch Rhoda from a precocious 10-year-old through decades of desire, motherhood, and addiction. Her final stop is as an accomplished writer, but her move through life is a painful one.

Newsday called “Rhoda” a story that “brings together Gilchrist’s major themes: retaliation, romance, religion, and class struggle, all with strength and sureness.”

“Teatro ZinZanni”: French chanteuse Liliane Montevecchi makes her Teatro ZinZanni debut in Seattle as Madame ZinZanni in L’Affaire d’Amour.

The new show runs through Aug. 5.

Montevecchi is best known for her role in Tommy Tune’s “Nine,” which landed her Tony and Drama Desk awards.

Teatro ZinZanni produces a three-hour stream of performance, music and comedy, all in an antique Belgian spiegletent. Guests are seated restaurant-style to watch the show unfold beside, around, and above their tables while dining on a five-course gourmet meal.

Carl Rosa Opera Company presents “Pirates of Penzance” Monday in Edmonds.