By Dylan Warren
Pirated!, Nebraska Communities Playhouse, Friday August 15, 2025
Move over Three Stooges and Charlie Chaplin, Pirated! crashes in with a raucous and roaring good time and explodes with chaotic Buster Keaton-esque shenanigans.
Pirated! is the story of one Roger Marshal of Marshall Pictures attempting to create a cinematic masterpiece of The Pirates of Penzance. Quite the creative endeavor during the 1930s as studios began converting from silent films to “talkies” and learning some of their leading actors didn’t quite have the voice for it. This show tells the story of what just might happen when a scheming studio executive tries to pull one over on the voice actors he so desperately depends on. The show opens at the start of filming when the studio is surprised with the entrance of reporter Rita James, known for bringing light to shady dealings. Rita sleuths her way around the studio talking to the various actors and crew. We meet Daniel and Constance, two of the vocal actors, as the star-crossed lovers meet to talk about their future together. As the day’s filming begins, things start well: the lip syncing is excellent and the acting is top-notch. Then Daniel gets an idea, maybe HE should be on camera. That, dear reader, is where the hilarity ensues, chaos reins, and the power paradigm changes hands.
Though Pirated! didn’t get its chance on Broadway, it sure got the Broadway treatment on the community stage at Nebraska Communities Playhouse. JD Madsen directs tremendous talents such as Christian Cardona as Daniel and Elena Poole as Constance giving stand-out performances as the star crossed lovers. Tylie Tingelhoff created fantastic costumes from Roger Marshall’s suits to the everyday wear of the voice actors and crew. Hannah Bertrand-Miller’s energetic choreography dazzled us with dance numbers from the pirates to the police! Garrett Hope is the music director filling our ears with pitch perfect songs from the beautiful duet “Sweet and Low” to “Tarantara.” Truly a spectacular production that no one should miss.
Local talent such as Wade Mumford and Laura Lynn Horst round out the leading roles as Roger Marshall and Rita James respectively, but this show is one of those where the whole of the ensemble is what makes it special. The “silent” actors rule the stage in a challenging situation, lip syncing to the lines read by someone else, and playing for the camera, which is done masterfully by talent like Sam Ninegar, Matthew Bejjani and Chloe Schwarting. On the other side the “vocalist” actors treated our ears with amazing voices such as Marikita Saure, Joe Hanson and Zoe Tien, who then “breakout” to perform wild stunts and mutiny. However, and I don’t think I’d be alone in this, I think one of the more stand out moments is Tim Andersen leading his fellow police officers Tory Petz, Allie Works, Jack Welstead and Cameron James in “A Policeman’s Lot.” This show was well worthy of its standing ovation.
If you go: Pirated! runs Aug 16-17 & 22-24 @ 7:30pm and 2pm (on Sundays) doors open a half hour before showtime. Ticket Information at https://neplayhouse.com
Dylan Warren holds a BFA in theater and film design and has worked at many local theaters as a prop master and as a volunteer actor and stagehand.
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