A Gilbert and Sullivan light opera may not be to everyone's taste. While it is certainly not as intricate and involved as traditional opera, it is a little more staid and highbrow than what Americans have grown to expect from their musical theatre presentations. Last season's production of H.M.S. Pinafore by Arizona State University's Lyric Opera Theatre attempted to circumvent this by turning it into a slapstick farce. This season, David Ira Goldstein and Arizona Theatre Company are taking a much more traditional approach to the script. That is not to say that this production does not offer its own share of innovations, but it is much more in keeping with the intentions of the gifted authors. The result is a well-acted, wonderfully sung, and brilliantly designed show that may require some to invest a little more concentration to reap the rewards of its humor and satire.
First produced in London in 1878, the show
is set aboard the H.M.S. Pinafore while docked in its homeport.
The faithful crew is preparing for the arrival of Sir Joseph,
the Ruler of the Queen's Navy, and his entourage of his sisters
and his cousins and his aunts, led by elder cousin Hebe. Sir Joseph
has pressed his suit with young Josephine, the endearing daughter
of Captain Corcoran. The Captain would love his daughter to marry
up, although she has fallen in love with a handsome, lowly sailor,
Ralph. While everyone gives lip service to equality, another sailor,
Dick Deadeye, knows the class system threatens to crush true love,
which he'd like to have happen. It seems tragedy is inevitable,
unless the omnipresent Little Buttercup can act as deus ex
machina and save the day.
Mr. Goldstein has added many flourishes to the piece, such as
a dumbshow at the beginning set to the overture, and a fluidly
moving set that offers a literal representation of the class levels
ordinarily unseen. The result is a production that pleases the
eye and the intellect with impressive and subtle images. He has
also taken care to keep the line between story and theatrical
presentation blurred, letting actors often acknowledge their stage
presence, a choice used to perfect comic effect many times during
the evening. This is light opera at its self-effacing best, reveling
in its improbability and corniness.
The performances are also quite enjoyable. Blending many truly wonderful voices with quite a bit of comic appeal, the cast expertly tiptoes the line between oratorical and presentational. The two young lovers, Pedro Porro and Arizona's own Amy Jo Arrington are delightfully cute. Mr. Porro has a resonating voice, although his operatic style makes his the least understandable in diction. Ms. Arrington still has her wonderful voice, but seems to have polished up on her acting since last we saw her in Phoenix Theatre's Tintypes. She is now at ease and commands the stage when called upon. In a turn that seems to mix Captain Corcoran with hints of Paul Lynde, Norman Large offers both a great voice and a sly, knowing wink at the audience throughout. Marc Cardiff's ominous Dick Deadeye is also a hoot, jerking his malformed body through some great comic dances.
As great as these performances are, though, the show is nearly stolen by its comic couple. Gary Briggle is beyond delightful as the snobbish Sir Joseph, mixing a solid voice with some of the best comic deliveries since last season's Irma Vep. As his cousin Hebe, Wendy Lehr is a gem, able to take a single word and bring tears of laughter to an audience's eyes. The ensemble is also quite enjoyable, exhibiting wonderful vocal and dancing skills. Unfortunately, on Tucson's opening night, Rebecca Spencer was stricken with laryngitis, and while she was a trouper and went on, her vocalizations were rough and acting a bit pulled back. Undoubtedly, judging from the power of the rest of the cast, she will be as impressive following her illness.
Sailing through tricky waters, Mr. Goldstein offers Michael Koerner as the musical director of a smaller group playing Kenneth LaFave's rescored orchestrations. Rather than the requisite 27 pieces, Mr. Koerner is Musical Director to an eight-piece band, which still sounds as full and is as suitable to the actors needs as a larger group. Patricia Wilcox's choreography ranges from great to hilarious, although the sailor chorus was still not quite synchronized on opening night.
Once again, great performances and direction are countered with equally impressive design elements, conjured up by the team that brought us Irma Vep. Rather than offer a unit set, Drew Boughton has created several set pieces that give new heights and depths to the playing areas. Now, Captain Corcoran can sing of his trepidations from his higher station, while Dick Deadeye can pop up from the bowels of the ship to offer his stern warnings. The movable set pieces, which give the audience various perspectives of the ship, are ingenious and look fantastic. The boxed sky and other ships in the harbor are magnificent in both day and night scenes. And Paul A. Black's lighting is the equal of Mr. Boughton's offerings, moving us through this day-long odyssey perfectly. David Kay Mickelsen's lush costumes would be the envy of Lincoln Center, and Abe Jacob's sound design is flawless.
No, we're not talking Hello Dolly here,
but Mr. Goldstein and his crafty group have done everything possible
to open this up to a larger audience without undermining the integrity
of the piece. ATC is now three-for-three this season, and has
raised my expectations for a perfect six-out-of-six.
Production Details:
H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert
& Sullivan
Arizona Theatre Company
The Temple of Music and Art, Tucson
(520) 622-2823
December 1st - December 16th, 2000 &
The Herberger Theater Center, Phoenix
(602) 256-6995
Special performance December 31st, January 3rd - January 21st,
2001
Amy Jo Arrington as Josephine and
sailors in HMS Pinafore. The Arizona
Theatre Company production is on stage at the Temple of Music
and Art in
Tucson, November 25 through December 22, 2000 and at the Herberger
Theater
Center in Phoenix, January 3-21, 2001. Please credit photo: Tim
Fuller.
