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For St. Thomas sophomore Tom Reusz, being in the cast of St. Catherine University’s spring theater performance, “Pirates of Penzance,” has been a fun experience.

“Maybe you have a stressful day at school, (but) then you get to hang out with everyone and act like a fool,” Reusz said.

The show opens Friday, March 8, and showcases students from St. Thomas, St. Kate’s, the University of Minnesota, Normandale Community College, Anoka Technical College, Academy of Holy Angels and surrounding communities.

Director Gregg Sawyer said that after he auditioned students from St. Thomas and St. Kate’s, he realized that the “men that auditioned were right (for their parts)…(but) we did not have the numbers of men that we needed to fill the cast.”

Sawyer solved the problem by calling upon to of his former students from The Academy of Holy Angels, where he works as the director of theater.

“We’re very united,” senior Kelly Blissenbach said. “There’s no huge egos… you’re just all together.”

The cast also includes St. Thomas staff members Beth Gusenius from the music department and Kellen O’Grady from Campus Ministry.

According to Sawyer, “Pirates of Penzance” is a “classically-based operetta” by Gilbert and Sullivan that is “hysterically funny.”

The plotline follows a 21-year-old named Frederic, who was indentured to be a pirate by his nurse Ruth, but is now free. Frederic falls in love with Mabel, the daughter of Maj. Gen. Stanley. However, the Pirate King and Ruth inform Frederic he is only free after his 21st birthday, not his 21st year, and since his birthday falls on leap day, he must stay with the pirates for 63 more years.

“Everybody’s happy at the end. Rose petals fall from the ceiling and life is better,” Sawyer said. “It’s a very silly show.”

Fifth-year St. Kate’s senior Greta Pahr plays Mabel, the lead female role.

Pahr first saw “Pirates of Penzance” when she was about 11 years old and “immediately fell in love with Mabel.”

“It’s kind of a dream role,” Pahr said. “It’s fun being a romantic character because… I’ve never been the young, beautiful maiden who gets to fall in love.”

Music Director Rob Strusinski, former St. Thomas Liturgical Choir director, said the show is 80 to 85 percent music and has “a lot of technical singing,” which requires more vocal coaching.

“Music and text come first. It carries the story more than traditional music theater – that has book that carries the story and often music (just) reflects on it,” Strusinski said.

Sawyer, a 1979 St. Thomas graduate, was Strusinski’s student at St. Thomas and said he has been working with Strusinski on theater productions including “Godspell” and “Guys and Dolls” since “too far back to count.”

“We work really well together because we can work independently of each other,” Sawyer said. “He will work with music; I will work with staging, (and) we will come together at the same time.”

St. Thomas graduate Mark Thomas, who plays Frederic in the show, worked with Gregg and Strusinski in “Guys and Dolls” and was also a worker and member of Liturgical Choir. This is Thomas’ first major role.

“It’s really been a whirlwind… it’s really stretched me,” Thomas said. “Just getting my lines down, getting the music down and keeping it solid has been a really interesting journey.”

Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10, and Sunday, March 11, at 2 p.m.

Pahr encourages students to come see the show.

“It is a hysterical, piratical romp not to be missed,” Pahr said.

For more information, watch the “Pirates of Penzance” teaser promo.

Rita Kovtun can be reached at kovt1547@stthomas.edu.