Life’s not easy on the high seas—especially when you’re there by mistake. Gilbert and Sullivan’s witty wordplay, swashbuckling satire, and captivating cadences make this lighthearted operetta a much-loved classic that never fails to entertain. Known for timeless (and tongue-twisting) tunes like “The Very Model of a Modern Major General” and “Poor Wand’ring One,” Pirates takes audiences on a lively adventure filled with comedy, disguises, romance, and dazzling singing.
Meet the Artists
Curt Olds*
Major-General Stanley
Kevin Burdette
The Pirate King
Patrick Bessenbacher*
Frederic
Vanessa Becerra
Mabel
Meredith Arwady*
Ruth
Shyheim Selvan Hinnant*
Sergeant of Police
Jon Dirk Ross
Samuel
Bethany Jelinek^
Edith
Natalie Sweeney*^
Kate
Kelli Van Meter@
Isabel
Andy Einhorn
Conductor
Seán Curran*
Director
Nadja Simmonds*
Assistant Director
Robert Wierzel
Lighting Designer
David Zimmerman
Wig and Makeup Designer
Soprano
- Cassie Banion
- Payton Boldt@
- Victoria Botero
- Melissa Faltermeier
- Catherine Grosscup
Mezzo-Soprano
- Ashley Beth Burnett
- Madeline Friesen@
- Julia Elise Hardin
- Lindsay James
- Jennifer Weiman
Tenor
- Aaron Bunnell
- Zachary K. Devin@
- Hunter Eisenmenger
- Alexander Goering
- Jedd C. Schneider
Bass-Baritone
- Matt Black
- Phil Eatherton
- Colt Hoselton
- Spencer McIntire
- Terence Murphy
*Lyric Opera Debut
^Lyric Opera Resident Artist
@Former Lyric Opera Resident/Apprentice Artist
Listen to the Music
Production Photos
Photos © Cory Weaver for Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Sponsors
The 2026–2027 season is sponsored by the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts; the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation; the Lyric Opera of Kansas City Foundation; and R.C. Kemper Charitable Trust and Foundation, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee; with public support from Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
The Pirates of Penzance is supported, in part, by the Mark Edelman Theater Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund.
