Pirates of Penzance

Pirates of Penzance comes to Itchen Valley Country Park on Saturday 19 September, with the performance running from 14:30 to 17:00. It's an outdoor theatre production for the family, staged at High Field, Allington Ln, Allington, SO30 3HQ.

The show is produced by Illyria and is based on the nineteenth-century comic opera by Gilbert & Sullivan. It follows Frederick, who was accidentally apprenticed to pirates as a child and is bound to serve them until his twenty-first birthday. The twist comes when he discovers his birthday falls on 29 February — a leap year — which means that, technically, he's only four years old. It's that kind of absurd, light-hearted comedy that's made the piece a long-standing favourite.

On stage, Illyria has put together a cast of six actors and singers, and they're backed by a full orchestra, so you'll get the music played live rather than from a recording. The company also supports the Equity Union's Charter for Outdoor Theatre, which is a good detail to know if you care about how the people on stage are looked after.

Tickets are £18 for adults and £10 for children. It's a matinee, starting at 14:30 and finishing around 17:00, so it's one you can bring the whole family along to without it running late into the evening. You'll find it at High Field within Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Ln, Allington, SO30 3HQ.