Category: savoy

REVIEW: The Pirates of Penzance

Published on by nancynewberry2 Comments

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This performance captured the frivolity of Gilbert and Sullivan and the subtlety of the production allowed the company to have fun

I am very lucky to have seen not one but two previous Gilbert and Sullivan performances at the London Coliseum. Both of these previous performances laid on complex design themes with a number of props and distracting scenery. The delight in this recent performance of The Pirates of Penzance was that it stripped back all of the distractions and relied heavily on the music and scripting, executed by a fantastic company.

Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are a wonderful gateway into the world of opera. Poking fun at the traditional form of opera whilst using a number of the techniques to brilliant effect, Gilbert and Sullivan operettas done well are a joy to watch. The Pirates of Penzance is well known for its hilarious hi-jinks and memorable melodies, so it was wonderful to see the ENO make the most of this with Mike Leigh’s production putting the music front and centre for this fantastic performance. 

The scenery revolved around a partition down the middle of the stage with a large circle cut out of it. This would open and close with a few other simple additions such as stairways or various blocks to change the levels. All of these were brightly coloured in the first half, moving to darker colours in the second half to represent day to night. The best use of the scenery came when the chorus of policemen surrounded the circular cut out, popping in and out as they sang. This created an amusing motif, without being overly cheesy and added to the frivolous hilarity this chorus brings. 

The performance included current and former artists from the Harewood Artist scheme run by the ENO. The clarity with which Isabelle Peters sung the difficult runs as Mabel was a testament to her role in this scheme, interweaving beautifully with her fantastic counterpart William Morgan as Frederic, formerly of the Harewood scheme. It was clear that the whole company was having fun with the performance, whilst not being over the top. In particular Richard Stuart, reprising his role as Major-General Stanley having previously performed in 2004, managed the complexity of the lyrics that come with the part. The element that really shone through to create this effortless performance was with the clear connection with the amazing conductor Natalie Murray Beale. 

Again, having kept the props and movements subtle, it meant there was more focus on the music and thus room for Murray Beale to make the orchestra shine. The precision that the orchestra was able to achieve was impressive even though there were some complicated melodies and pacy rhythms, and the chorus had a huge amount of lyrics to keep pace with. 

This performance captured the frivolity of Gilbert and Sullivan and the subtlety of the production allowed the company to have fun and let the joyful harmonies and clever lyrics shine. 

REVIEW: The Pirates of Penzance

Published on by Jason ShowdieLeave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

A wonderfully fun evening out to enjoy some G&S brilliance

While my knowledge of opera is incredibly limited, and I’ve hardly encountered any Gilbert and Sullivan beyond I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General, I knew enough to know that The Pirates of Penzance is a stone-cold classic. What I wasn’t expecting is for it to be quite as funny as it is, with a plot that wouldn’t be out of place in a modern farce. 

Sasha Regan’s production certainly goes for the laughs, leaning into the pantomime and having lots of fun with an all-male cast who spring from mostly-macho pirates to mostly-delicate maidens with ease–and twinkles in their eyes as they do. Exaggerations of physicality and accents are aplenty as they play in the ridiculousness of the plot, and it’s almost surprising that there weren’t any almost-laughs from the cast themselves. One thing that cannot be faulted is the commitment of every member of the team to making this a physical, funny, high-energy show.

There’s some lovely technical ability on offer, too. For me, the stand-out performances belong to Luke Garner-Greene in his professional debut, who sings with gorgeous vocal dexterity and gives Mabel a beautiful fragility, and David McKechnie, who fills the room with his presence and finds comedy in every moment his Major-General is on stage. Mention must also be made of Musical Director Ioannis Giannopoulos who single-handedly accompanies the entire show on piano with enviable ability.

It’s clear this production knows what it wants to do and, to its credit, it mostly achieves it. What’s also clear is that these actors are not opera performers, and unfortunately this fact does find itself getting in the way. There are lots of moments where the lyrics cannot be heard amidst the melody and I would struggle to believe they are reaching the people at the back. Indeed, the same can likely be said for many of the songs and most of the scenes, with the exception of McKechnie’s Major-General, Cameron McAllister’s Frederic–who, while slightly wooden, has a shining voice, and Lewis Kennedy’s dynamic and entertaining Sergeant of Police. 

I can’t help wondering, too, if there are times the pursuit of a laugh hinders the success of the storytelling. So while the show undoubtedly entertains, there’s still space left for growth in this production. If you’re looking for a fun evening out, you can’t go far wrong with some classic Gilbert and Sullivan in the entrancing Victoriana of Wilton’s Music Hall. If you’re interested in The Pirates of Penzance for its satire on Victorian societal mores and how it pokes at the establishment, Regan’s offering may be slightly adrift.

REVIEW: The Gondoliers

Published on by John RichardsonLeave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

A fun and enjoyable production, too shy to make the play their own

Every Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera has the same secret weapon in their arsenal; juxtaposition. This is often the strongest technique of G&S, setting silly and fun stories against deeper subtext and commentary using the medium of opera. 

Once the crux of the story is revealed, a plot revolving around the search for a king with a wife of whom he is not aware of, the show hits its stride, being engaging and joyful, mixing satire about the British owning class with heartfelt love straight out of a B tier sitcom plot, accompanied by good – but not outstanding -songs.

The beginning of the first act drags on, meandering between setup before finally introducing us to the Duke and Duchess (Ian Lawson, and Fiona Main). Work could have been done to make this first act more engaging if the production company chooses not to make cuts.

The best performances are the Duke and Duchess. They enjoy the splendour afforded by their titles, carrying themselves with such pomp it only heightens the contrast with their songs about the schemes they run, or childish complaining about their journey from Spain. They both hit the vocal performances well, and deliver every line of dialogue with the snarky tone of not-so-noble noblemen who *really* don’t want to have to interact with any of the rabble that doesn’t benefit them.

This display of understanding of Gilbert and Sullivan’s material and its strengths can also be seen in Sebastion Davidson’s performance as Giuseppe. In the first act he is a principled republican, and the second act, a king enjoying all the fruits of nobility, Sebastion plays this arc with all the charm and slyness needed to let us buy into this seeming change of heart and enjoy the comedy that jumps forth. Unfortunately his brother Marco (Theo Rankine-Fourdraine) has more of a wooden acting style, but whose tenor singing is some of the most beautiful throughout.  

The setting of the play within Venice is dutifully recreated, with backdrops evoking the famous Piazza San Marco including a moving Gondola, and later the grand palace. The costumes are more impressive – while the material looks on the cheap side, Utopia costuming did well with its patchwork dresses worn by the peasant women, who strive for glamour but make do with a lot less. This is not a high budget show and the costumes and set do their job well given what resources are available to the Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society, whose members are often putting this show on alongside their full time jobs.

One thing that isn’t restricted by finances however is the wit and charm in the updated lyrics and dialogue. For the most part this production sticks with the original script with some minor additional jokes, however the one time they do completely rewrite a song to poke fun at the nepotism and corruption current in British and American political society, it comes off brilliantly, giving us the best song later in the second act. This success highlights the lack of contemporary update throughout, which feels like missed opportunities.  

We see another example of how good the additions could be, during a quintet wherein we see freeze frames whenever one character does sing, as if we the audience are trapped in their heads. 

The show is enjoyable as a faithful but safe production from a company who display the ability but not the confidence to transform the original play, their own.