Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
"If this 'Pirates of Penzance' at first seems like a misbegotten ship of fools, I'll be damned if it doesn't sail." –Frank Rich (1980)
How did a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, well known for a rigid history of following original practice, become the model of a modern major improv-filled musical? In this new video essay, Zach Barr (they/them) discusses the history of "Papp's Pirates," the 1980 Shakespeare in the Park production that changed everything.
Bibliography: drive.google.com/file/d/1RLz1Kzmo9K801DnMkhWdCmVFxYjIWW3O/view?usp=sharing
"And Now, They Sing" series: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4vfdXUW5yrXQ7kppQrbLhnG50hWlVJcr
For suggesting topics: twitter.com/AdmiralZachBarr
For donations: ko-fi.com/admiralzachbarr
"An Open Letter to the Senators of the 116th Congress: Fund the Arts" by Matthew-Lee Erlbach: americantheatre.org/2020/07/25/an-open-letter-to-the-senators-of-the-116th-congress-fund-the-arts
"If this 'Pirates of Penzance' at first seems like a misbegotten ship of fools, I'll be damned if it doesn't sail." –Frank Rich (1980)
How did a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, well known for a rigid history of following original practice, become the model of a modern major improv-filled musical? In this new video essay, Zach Barr (they/them) discusses the history of "Papp's Pirates," the 1980 Shakespeare in the Park production that changed everything.
Bibliography: drive.google.com/file/d/1RLz1Kzmo9K801DnMkhWdCmVFxYjIWW3O/view?usp=sharing
"And Now, They Sing" series: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4vfdXUW5yrXQ7kppQrbLhnG50hWlVJcr
For suggesting topics: twitter.com/AdmiralZachBarr
For donations: ko-fi.com/admiralzachbarr
"An Open Letter to the Senators of the 116th Congress: Fund the Arts" by Matthew-Lee Erlbach: americantheatre.org/2020/07/25/an-open-letter-to-the-senators-of-the-116th-congress-fund-the-arts
![Low Budget Milky Whites [LIVE at BroadwayCon 2024]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m6EUYZNgxT4/mqdefault.jpg "Low Budget Milky Whites [LIVE at BroadwayCon 2024]
He wasn’t puppeteering her just yet; she was still inanimate. Then he tilted her head ever so slightly, and instantly there she was: imbued with life and seemingly quizzical — even if her big, almost teary eyes are really just beveled foam coated with clear epoxy that catches the light. Yeah, we’re best friends, said Kanagawa. -Laura Collins-Hughes, 2022
Of all the characters from “Into The Woods,” none have seen more…variation between productions than Jack’s beloved cow. The defunct Tumblr blog “Low Budget Milky Whites” catalogued a bestiary of staging choices: puppets, masks, facepaint, balloons, and more. But, funny as they are, what can these costumes teach us about the medium of theatre? Zach Barr (they/them) discusses the differences between Static and Dynamic Art, through the lens of the cow as white as milk.
Performed July 27, 2024 – LIVE at BroadwayCon 2024
Thank you to BroadwayCon and the Mischief Management staff for hosting me! This was my first time ever presenting And Now They Sing live, and it was a blast the whole way through. Special shoutout to the attendee who brought their own Milky White puppet and asked me to sign the udder afterwards – I missed your name but you made my whole weekend.")
