High school musical will feature a swashbuckling fun time

Weiser High School will present the musical “The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree.” Performances will take place at the Weiser High School Auditorium on March 8, 10, and 12 at 7 p.m., and a final matinee performance on March 13 at 1 p.m.
 Shiver your timbers with this swashbuckling musical comedy. This musical shows what happens when Captain Jennings’ crew jumps ship, leaving him with only a handful of prisoners and Fergus, a sailor who can’t swim, to protect his wealthy passengers from a pirate attack.  
 Captain Bree and her lady pirates demand gold in exchange for the lives of the pretentious Madam Prescot; her nephew Samuel, who is masquerading as a girl to avoid becoming shark bait; and her niece Julia, bursting with desire to join the lady pirates.
 The pirates entertain themselves by teaching Julia the ropes of pirating, such as threatening their prisoners with the plank.  When a British fleet arrives, they set on both hanging the pirates for their deeds and punishing Captain Jennings for not fighting them off more effectively. The swashbuckling fun and music will keep you humming along all the way up to the surprise ending.
 Captain Bree is played by Emma Tolman, Captain Jennings by Daniel Rodriguez, Madame Prescot by Nichole Light, Samuel Prescot by Brayden Walker and Julia Prescot by Ella Terry. Choir director Mike Turner shared that the cast is a lot of fun and the play will be a lot of fun to watch.
 “‘The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree’ is just plain fun with lots of goofy dialogue and characters,” Turner said.
 Turner said that this particular musical was chosen for two main reasons. First, the cast of characters fits perfectly with this year’s group of students. Second, it was a little bit of a practical financial decision.
 Most of the musicals cost thousands of dollars just to obtain a performance license, rent the materials, and rent the recorded performance tracks. With the uncertainty of being able to have an audience to recoup those expenses, Turner opted for a more affordable production.
 The WHS musicals are completely self-funded with the only income being ticket sales, so Turner knew he would need to choose a more affordable play. Turner is confident however, that audiences will be fully entertained throughout the performance.   
 “This is a very fun and energetic musical and I think those who attend will be thoroughly entertained. Our student talent is, as always, amazing. In the end, that is what it is all about, our students,” Turner said.
 The rehearsals for the musical began in January and Turner shared that the group has about 13 fewer rehearsals than usual to stage this musical. While that may not sound like much, it’s almost 20 percent fewer rehearsals than normal. Which means that the students have worked exceptionally hard to make this show happen.
 Tickets are available online at the high school homepage, and since the seating will be limited to 40 percent of capacity with only 256 tickets per performance, the shows are filling up quickly. Online sales will close four hours before each performance and any remaining tickets can be purchased at the door.
 The cast is also inviting their younger audience members to participate in a pirate parade on stage 15 minutes before each production for grades third and younger. Come in costumes and be ready for a good time.  
 Musicals are a long standing tradition for Weiser High School. This is Turner’s 23rd year teaching in Weiser and in that time Turner has directed 15 musicals at the high school as well as six middle school musicals.
 Previous choir teachers also directed musicals at Weiser High School, with multiple generations of Wolverines presenting their acting and musical skills for audiences to enjoy.
 Captain Bree is sure to be another memorable performance for the books.