The members of Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre believe you are ready.

For years, they have staged familiar musicals like “Oklahoma” and “The Sound of Music.” And after years of doing the familiar well, they hope the audience trusts them enough to take some theatrical risks.

On Friday, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre will open “The Pirates of Penzance,” a comic opera that premiered in 1880.

“With this show, we're bringing something new to Grand Lake,” said RMRT managing director Chad Scott. “It's challenging. It's an operetta. You have to sit at the front of your chair and listen.

“The way it's done, it won't go over anyone's head. We're bringing it to the masses.”

“The Pirates of Penzance” was updated in the 1980s and director Michael Querio has taken it a step further.

“There's a lot of tongue and cheek and physical humor,” Scott said. “This show has really been a collaboration with the actors, adding more things that they feel are funny as they go along.

“We're really making it our own.”

The secret to enjoying this show, even if you don't think you will enjoy an opera, is to “have fun with it,” Scott said. “It's not too deep. Just sit back and be entertained.

“Listen to the incredible voices and laugh when you want to laugh.”

And prepare to be amazed how well the company is able to put on such a large show on the tiny Grand Lake stage.

“This show really needs a large stage and we're doing it on a stage the size of a Ritz cracker,” Scott said.

‘The Pirates of Penzance' When: Opens Friday, June 19, plays through the summer Where: Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre on Grand Avenue in Grand Lake Tickets: $35 Call: (970) 627-3421