Of all the gloriously silly operettas penned by Gilbert and Sullivan, The Pirates of Penzance may be the silliest, and most glorious, of all. And even though traditional G&S stagings can be stodgy, anyone who had the good fortune to see the 1980s Kevin Kline/Linda Ronstadt Pirates in NYC's Central Park knows that it's full of opportunities for inspired slapstick. So is it really that much of a stretch (excuse the pun) to imagine it as a ballet? We'll see this week, when the Orlando Ballet brings a dance adaptation choreographed by Tampa's Daryl Gray to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Complete with the original work's self-important swashbucklers, Keystone-esque cops and simpering maidens, Gray's version also promises some leaps and bounds probably never imagined at the D'Oyly Carte. Four singers and a live orchestra bring the music and lyrics, but the real fun will be to see if those pirates pirouette the plank. Jan. 18-20, 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2:30 p.m. Sun., Ferguson Hall-TBPAC, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa,, $29.50-$59.50, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org.
This article appears in Jan 9-15, 2008.