Reviewed 12/4/04
Arizona Theatre Company does a lot of things very well, but Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein has proven particularly adept at Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. His wonderful rendition four seasons ago of H.M.S. Pinafore established that Goldstein not only has an ear for the delicious rhythms and rhymes, but an eye for creating hilarious stage pictures and pulling off comic zingers. This is once again true for ATC’s current musical romp The Pirates of Penzance. You know it’s going to be a wild night when the comedy begins during the Overture. With a cast of talented singers and dancers, Goldstein lets loose a barrage that eloquently voices the tunes and finds ways without anachronisms to bring about the comedy. In tandem with his on-target design team, the production currently offered by ATC is yet another wonderful musical offering from this impressively consistent company.
Dutiful Frederic (Michael Gillis) is completing his service today, his 21st birthday, after his hard-of-hearing nurse Ruth (Wendy Lehr) has accidentally indentured him from the age of eight to the grandiose Pirate King (Timothy McCuen Piggee) and his kindly crew of orphan pirates. He then announces his intention to regretfully exterminate his former crewmates. The much-older Ruth begs Frederic to wed her, claiming she is as beautiful as any woman. However, the arrival of Major General Stanley (Gary Briggle) and his sextet of beautiful daughters lead by the strong-willed Mabel (Morgan James) proves that wrong, and he sends Ruth away. Stanley saves the ladies from being carried off by the pirates and Frederic enlists the help of a Sergeant (David Villella, understudying for the ailing Mark C. Reis until the move to Phoenix) and his bobbies to thwart the pirates. However, a paradox of the calendar puts Frederic once more at the mercy of the Pirate King and Ruth.
Goldstein lovingly goes with the situation by having the actors play not for laughs, but for effect by religiously holding to Gilbert’s twisting, convoluted plot. He never allows a modern reference to interrupt the flow of the evening, instead trusting that the absurdity of the writing will propel the comedy with universal slapstick support. The results could have been contemporary with Gilbert and Sullivan, yet it always delivers on the laughs: Piggee flounces around the stage, Gillis’ legs literally quiver as James trills a song of seduction, and Lehr transforms from desperate harpy to spry pirate-wannabe.
James’ operatic soprano is quite lovely and she is an
appealing Mabel. She plays at her characters sweetly willful ways while always
remaining appealing. Gillis is a strong-voiced Frederic, though he is not
as commanding a presence as his character might be. He is still quite funny
and earnest. Piggee, however, is everything you could want from a Pirate
King and more. He is as energetic as he is magnetic of personality. He has
a strong, expressive voice and a wicked gleam in his eye. Briggle does an
outstanding job as the very model of a modern Major General. He is stiff
upper lip personified, and his maneuverings through his difficult patter
song is perfectly realized both in high and insane speeds. In the first act
of the opening Saturday night, Lehr seemed tentative as Ruth. Her cues occasionally
appeared a beat off, and she didn’t seem connected with those around
her. However, with her appearance in the second act, she took the stage by
force and seemed to have recovered. The ensemble is quite the equal to the
leads. They execute Patricia Wilcox’s expansive musical staging with
energy, and are vocally engaging.
Bill Forrester does an excellent job of recreating the three locales of the piece, including a few funny flourishes of his own. He has extended the stage with a runway encircling Michael Koerner’s strong orchestra and Goldstein utilizes this for even more interesting effects. Lindsay W. Davis’ costumes are lush and well researched. John McLain’s lighting captures all of the moods and moments of the evening. Brian Jerome Peterson’s sound design is flawless. Congratulations go to Louis Colaiannifor excellent dialect coaching.
With their second musical presentation of the year, ATC has pretty much aced this offering. Their streak of wonderful mountings of good works continues without a blip, and I continue to be amazed at their consistency.
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