Public Theater Gala to Honor Nora Ephron and Feature Performance of The Pirates of Penzance

Longtime Public Theater board member Nora Ephron will be honored at the theater company’s annual gala this year, which will also feature a one-night-only concert performance of the Public’s 1980 production of The Pirates of Penzance.

The gala will be held at the Delacorte Theater on June 10 and will be co-chaired by Sir Howard Stringer, Arielle Tepper Madover and Renee Beaumont. Casting for Pirates of Penzance will be announced shortly.

The beloved Gilbert and Sullivan musical bowed in 1980 at the Delacorte as part of the Public’s Shakespeare in the Park program (of which Ephron was a major fan). The cast included Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith and George Rose, all of whom transferred to Broadway with the production, which went on to win the 1981 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

Ephron served on the Public board for over eight years and was an active supporter of the company. Her final play Lucky Guy, starring Tom Hanks, will open at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 1.

To receive an invitation to the Public Theater’s gala on June 10, call (212) 539-8547 or e-mail gala@publictheater.org.

Watch Kline and his swashbuckling co-stars in the film adaptation of The Pirates of Penzance below!