Opera Hunter, which is staging The Pirates of Penzance at Lake Macquarie Performing Arts Centre in Warners Bay from July 26 to August 4, had so many good actors, singers and dancers auditioning for the show that it decided to have two casts alternating in its performances.

The show's full title, The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty, includes a tongue-in-cheek reference to the central character, Frederic, an apprentice to a pirate team, who is celebrating his 21st birthday and has, at his request, been released from his apprenticeship. But when the Pirate King learns that Frederic was born on February 29 and therefore only celebrates his birthday every four years, he cancels the release and tells Frederic that his apprenticeship will continue until 1940.

The pirates, who rarely sail away on their ship from the docile seaside town of Penzance, in Cornwall (a real place), are shown to be really good-hearted, although often very inept in their activities. And many of the other characters are also shown not to be adept, among them the police team that Frederic plans to join, and a Major-General, with four attractive daughters, one of whom, Mabel, is as attracted to Frederic as she is to him.

The show include several well-known songs, among them the major-general's tongue-in-cheek introduction of himself, I am the very model of a modern Major-General, Poor wand'ring one, in which Mabel reveals her attraction to Frederic, and With cat-like tread, sung by the pirates as they head onto the Major-General's property to avenge themselves for a lie he has told them.

Amber Lewis, who is directing the Opera Hunter production, said that all the actors are putting their own spin on the characters and not copying the others.

Sam Elmi, one of the show's Frederics, sees him as very naive, but loyal to the pirates. "And his relationship with Mabel is very beautiful," he said.

Brent Hanson, the other Frederic, notes that he is a bit dumb, and conflicted between his duty and what he wants.

Freya Meredith, one of the Mabels, views her as a lot stronger than most of the other characters realise. "She is more sassy than delicate and, while she is attracted to Frederic, she sees herself as his equal."

The other Mabel, Tashana Hardy, said that while she makes Frederic feel like a man, she knows what she wants and isn't afraid to say what she thinks.

The other cast members include Tristan Entwistle and Mathew Gallimore as the Pirate King, Joanna Andrew and Brook Littlewood as Ruth, an assistant to the pirates, Stewart McGowan as the Major-General, and Michael Saunders and Jeff Cutts, as the police sergeant, plus a strong ensemble.

The Pirates of Penzance has 7.30pm performances on Friday and Saturday from July 26 to August 4, plus 1.30pm Saturday and Sunday matinees. There will also be a show on July 31 at 7.30pm. Tickets - adult $40, concession $35, children $20. stickytickets.com.au.

THIS very amusing work developed by David Baker, in association with Chris Gill, Manny Serrano, and Marcus Holdsworth, the other Smokin' Chops musicians-actors-singers, takes a tongue-in-cheek look at a July Christmas celebration by a family of petty criminals, with the ineptitude of all the relatives amusingly revealed in the will of the family patriarch who has just died. The mother, for example, is Miss Carriage, and the family clown is Uncle Fester. And the show's mostly well-known 24 songs, among them Moon Glow, Mr Sandman and Try a Little Tenderness, are entertainingly used to show the natures of the onstage and unseen family members. It's a far from choppy show.

THIS premiere production of the adaptation by Newcastle's Callan Purcell of a popular children's book, which looks at the way an initially unpopular male teacher of year 6 students helps to prepare them for the move to high school, is a delight for people of all ages. Appropriately staged in a school playground, it shows through the words and actions of the 17 class members how they come to appreciate the teacher, referred to as Carey the Hairy. Adults at the opening performance noted at show's end how it brought back memories of their school years, with the reactions of youngsters also showing that.

THE skills of the young performers in both casts of this adaptation of a much-loved children's book make it a delight for all ages. When fur-hat-wearing Cruella de Ville visits a former school friend in London and learns that their female dalmatian, Missis, is about to give birth to many pups (15 as it turns out), her obsession with creating fur coats is revealed, so it's not surprising that the pups disappear after birth. Missis and her male partner, Pongo, quickly get together a team to help find and rescue the pups. It's a brisk story, with the dogs and other animals colourful characters.