Describing Elizabethtown Area High School's spring musical, cast member Josie Sirinides said, "It's a pirate opera, a pirate musical, which is so fun. 'Pirates' and 'opera' are two things you wouldn't think go together, but it works."

The school will present "The Pirates of Penzance" at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 27 and 28, and at 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. The show will be performed at the high school, 600 E. High St., Elizabethtown.

Written by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan in 1879, "The Pirates of Penzance" follows Frederic, a young man on the verge of discovering life.

"Frederic is very young, very naive, and I wouldn't say he's dumb, but he's very earnest," said Brendan Fritz, a senior who plays the character. "At a young age, he was indentured to a band of pirates. Now he's 21 years old, and he's out of his apprenticeship and he goes off into the world, which he has never seen before. That's where he meets a bunch of other characters."

Frederic is the ward of The Pirate King, portrayed by senior Scott Creason.

"He was indentured to me as a small child, and I've raised him in the ways of piracy," Scott shared. "Now he wants to leave, and I don't like that, but I have to let him go."

The Pirate King discovers a loophole in Frederic's contract and decides to exploit that, knowing Frederic is a man who takes his duty very seriously and won't be able to say no.

"One thing that sets this musical apart from others is there is very little actual dialogue. It's almost all singing," said Brendan. "A lot of the songs are very fast paced, patter songs."

The most well-known song in the show, "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General," is performed by freshman Stephan Fasick, who plays Major-General Stanley.

Other big numbers in the show include "With Cat-Like Tread," a song that reflects the irony of the musical.

"It's a song about how quiet they are being, but it's a very loud, huge song," shared Josie, who plays Ruth, a nurse who has helped to raise Frederic.

Although the musical is technically an operetta, it's still accessible, she noted.

"It's very entertaining to watch and listen to," she said. "It's a fresh style of storytelling that isn't seen in a lot of contemporary musicals."

Junior Makayla Weaver plays Frederic's love interest, Mabel, the youngest daughter of Major-General Stanley. She agreed that the word "opera" may cause audiences to hesitate about seeing the show, but they shouldn't.

"It's a really fun and spontaneous show," she explained. "You don't know what's going to happen next. It's not classical opera; there are a lot of fun jokes."

The musical features a cast and crew of about 130 students under the direction of Christy Blaisdell, Lauren Ritter and Aaron Oliver.

Natalie Ott portrays another lead character, the Sergeant of Police. The sound managers are senior Andrew Stoner and junior Dia Gilleland, and the light managers are juniors Connor Dellinger and Ryan Siler.

Seniors Adrienne Crick, Katie Lowell and Emma Griffith are the stage managers.

"We help to plan the set, and we plan and arrange all of the building, as well as organize the people who are helping backstage," Adrienne said.

Emma encourages audiences to come to the show, noting it's full of surprises.

"If you are familiar with this show, you may think it's an older show, but we put a fresh new twist on it," she said. "There are little bits throughout the show for all ages to enjoy."

From swordfighting to slapstick, there's something for everyone in this musical, said Scott.

"It's a typical pirate adventure, except it has music added to it," he commented. "If you're expecting to come here and have an amazing time, we're not going to disappoint you."

Tickets for the production may be purchased at  https://tinyurl.com/EAHSPirateTix or at the door one hour before performances by cash or check only.