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Monday, July 17, 2006
Latest 'Pirates of Penzance' a fresh romp in old England
The Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society has done it again.
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You wouldn't think it possible to make fresh all over again such a hoary, not to mention idiotic, old favorite, as G & S' "The Pirates of Penzance," but they have.
The production, which opened Friday at the Bagley Wright Theatre and runs through the end of July, is full of delightful, funny moments.
One of the best is the Major General's deft separation of his daughters from the enthusiastic pirates.
Another is the astonishingly well-endowed figurehead on the pirate ship.
A third is the one-upmanship between the pirate king and the Major General involving flags, and there are many more.
None of that detracts from the original intent of Sullivan and Gilbert themselves.
Stage director Christine Goff has hewed to the traditional line. This is not a piece that can be translated to outer Mongolia or the 21st century. Great care has been devoted to correct English accents, a pleasure to this English-born reviewer.
Of the cast, veteran performer Dave Ross as the Major General is a marvel at the patter songs. I'll swear he sang them even faster than before, and the clarity is amazing.
As is the custom, he added a verse of his own. I heard references to a hybrid motorcar, the Monorail, "The Da Vinci Code," the Super Bowl, global warming, the Internet and the WASL test. There were more, but they flew by too fast to catch.
Scott Rittenhouse as the pirate apprentice Frederic, Cristina Villareale as Mabel, Nancy Gentemann Hebert as the nursemaid Ruth, Carla Hilderbrand as the sister Kate, pirate king Andrew Parks, his lieutenant William Darkow, and Cliff Watson as the sergeant of police gave well-rounded, well-sung, characterful performances.
And the chorus. This is no amorphous group, but a collection of individuals -- whether daughters, pirates or policemen -- who were as lively a group to watch as to hear.
The orchestra originally sounded tentative, but soon got into stride. Music director Bernard Kwiram paced the music well, and the whole was colorful.
In short, this "Pirates" is a delight.
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