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Cultural Series spec 'Pirates of I By John Vaughan A bit of Broadway dazzle hits the stage at The Townshi tonight and tomorrow, as the lavish, prize-winning productio of 4'The Pirates of Penzance" is presented by the US< Cultural Series. Derived from Gilbert and Sullivan's classic operetta, tli modern musical swiftly seized the affections of critics and aii diences when producer Joseph Papp brought it to life. Clambering to the top of heaps of praise, the productioi was lauded for its mesh of the stylistic wit of its originator with the showy wizardry of its adapters. MANY CRITICS were quick to compare the show to "M Fair Lady," Lerner and Loewe's exceedingly popular musics adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." "By rethinking, but not rewriting, Gilbert and Sullivan' work in the highly charged terms of modern musical com edy," New York Times critic Frank Rich wrote, "Mr. Pap] and company have gained the best of both worlds. "Indeed, they have united civilized British wit an< American show-biz know-how in a combustive Broadwa; musical for the first time since Messrs. L.erner and Loewe me Shaw halfway," Rich commented. The show boasts three Tony Awards. It seems to have milk cd just the right factors to keep it fresh ? not the least o which was showcasing Linda Ronstadt as its heroine or Broadway and on film ? but it also has been milked in som< sour ways, prompting a cheap copycat him with Krist) McNichol and Christopher Atkins, called "The Pirat< Movie." AT ANY rate, singer Maria Muldaur now headlines the production. though it remains somewhat confusing that the heroine has become larger in promoters' eves than the here whose story is told. "The Piratic of Ppn/flnrr" rnllirk*. alnno ile rMiirci> Ini-iic. ing on Frederick, a young man accidentally apprenticed to a band of pirates. Frederick eventually escapes, sets the buc cancers on a straighter course and wins the heroine's heart. As the heroine, Muldaur may not be quite the box-offic< draw that Ronstadt was, but she brings a reservoir of ex perience in varied musical styles. Perhaps best known for her 1974 gold record, "Midnight a the Oasis," she has since moved through gospel and jaz motifs as well as her folk music and rhythm and blues. TICKETS FOR "The Pirates of Penzance" are $14.50 an $ J 2.50. and are not included with season membership) in th Cultural Series. For more information, call The Township box office a 252-6530. P XT '* < ^ ial 'enzance sails j^^^^^RHH^Bft^flPPP^^Py^ JL ^n|^ Jp*^^ , t^JF ^s t.7-\ - ' ^jjz : h; ' <1 y-v^vj?V - e Broadway musical arrays Township stage ( Singer Maria Muldaur headlines the touring company in tonight's perfo Pirates of Penzance," presented by the USC Cultural Series. h t^:,V;L : v_r.; .. rl 'Ail night long' Lionel Richie sang and joked with a large Carolina Coliseum crowd Saturday night. * Photo by laws I Fefguion into Columbia m^ffl ~"~.~V "i _ -IT-^BHSBBIIe * / >? y| |^^^^^iHhH^^H|^HB /V i rmance of the prize-winning adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Local theater offers 'On Golden Pond' By John Vaughan "On Golden Pond," the tender little play that became a touching major motion picture, is Town Theatre's second production of the season. Written by Ernest Thompson, the play opened on Broadway to delighted reviews in 1979, but it was the 1981 film version that etched the story into most American hearts. Town Theatre raised the curtain Friday, but the theater is closed tonight and tomorrow. "On Golden Pond" will continue Wednesday through Nov. 19. THE PLAY traces a memorable summer in the lives of Norman and Ethel Thayer, their daughter Chelsea, and the young son of her beau, Bill. Norman, a retired college professor, has reached the age of 80 troubled by his heart ? in many ways. He and Ethel are celebrating their 48th summer on Golden Pond, a serene spot in Maine that has come to represent a large part of their lives. Norman's sardonic preoccupation with aging and death, as well as his estranged relationship with his daughter, are challenged when Chelsea and Bill visit Golden Pond briefly to leave Bill Jr. with the old couple while they travel to Europe. Billy, 13, becomes the son Norman never had, and rejuvenates the cranky old man's embrace of his life, his wife ? and ultimately, his daughter. IN TOWN Theatre's production. Rov Find ami Frnmnlpp Robbins portray Norman and Ethel, with Beth Meadows as Chelsea, L.arry Potesta as Bill and Peter Rutledge as young Billy. Robbins' appearance as Ethel is noteworthy as the second time in a month that a local director has been forced into tackling a leading role after losing a performer. This situation differs slightly from Wally Rodriguez' in Workshop Theatre's "American Buffalo," since Robbins already had planned to step in on two occasions as an understudy with the stage name "Hope Merritt." She now has shouldered each performance. Performances of "On Golden Pond" arc at 8 p.m. except for 3 p.m. Sunday matinees. For ticket information, call the box office at 799-2510.