By Shannon Eden
Welcome to the Valley Center Playhouse in Lindon – it’s been around for 40 years and yet I’ve never heard of it! It is a little tucked away – I was afraid Map-quest had led me totally astray when we started into a distinctly residential neighborhood, but lo and behold – there amid the homes was a hidden theater. The Valley Center Playhouse is a smaller venue, with ancient seats that scream, “You don’t want to sit in me for three hours!” but are actually pretty comfortable. (This coming from a seven months pregnant person who can’t sit anywhere for three hours.) They add to the very nostalgic feel of the theater itself. I brought my family with me to see the show and found out that they usually don’t allow children under four; however, they were kind enough to let my two-year-old stay so long as she behaved herself, which, as a great compliment to the cast, she did. This is a show geared for families with lots of fun swashbuckling and silliness, so bring your kids – the loudest laughs of the night came from the children in the audience.
Pirates of Penzance, a classic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, follows the tale of Frederick – a lad of twenty-one who is, in fact, only five. He’s a pirate, but doesn’t want to be, and loves Mabel, but is going to have to kill her father. Confused? So is he. Ever the slave of duty, poor Frederick is pulled from one world to another, then back again, and finds himself interacting with some very colorful characters along the way.
Directed by Patrick Brannelly, with the assistance of musical director Brooklyn Poulter, the Valley Center Playhouse has put together a fun production that brings the audience a little closer to the show than usual. Pirate has the capability of having a rather large cast, but the theater here was simply too small to accommodate, it is a theater in the round – the stage being the center floor with seats surrounding. There were a few times that the actors became a little too aware of the audience while trying to not block anyone’s view, but for the most part, the blocking rotated often enough that the characters were able to be seen by all sides. One difficulty I found with the theater set up and blocking was that the corners seemed to be utilized quite frequently as an ‘escape’ for the actors. If they weren’t a key part in the scene, they stood in a designated corner until it was time to return to the stage. Understanding that, with a limited space people need to be moved in order for the focus to be on the right characters, I wished that those ‘escaping’ to the corners had seemed like they had a reason to go as opposed to just following their blocking. Or a few times, the aisles and audience seats were used to great success – the police hiding from the pirates amongst theater patrons was really a fun interaction, and it would have been nice to see some more blocking choices like that.
The costumes were creative, done by M’liss Tolman. My favorites being that of the Pirate King and Ruth as a pirate. Tolman also managed the set and props, keeping them very minimal in order to leave ample space for the actors to maneuver. She made yet another appearance as the homely Ruth, Frederick’s devoted yet elderly nursemaid. Her portrayal was a little more subdued than some of the other characters. So although she did a good job with the character, she got a little lost amid the others – especially vocally. In a theater small enough to not require microphones, I wished she had had one. She was also…dare I say? Too pretty! I loved her transition to sultry pirate sidekick after being discarded by Frederick, but I felt like she needed a little more help being homely in the beginning. I hope I look so good at forty-seven!
The Pirate King, played charismatically by David Henry, had very ample projection and stage presence. His pitch faltered every so often during the musical numbers, but he had a strong performance overall. Cameron Fullmer as Frederick brought a silliness to the character that went a little too far sometimes for me, but gave a likeableness as well. It may not be fair for me to review this show since I’ve been in it twice and grew up on the music – I know it too well! Fullmer did miss a lot of his lines though he filled them in enough to keep things going. My husband never noticed, and most in the audience probably were of the same mind. Mabel, played by Amber Lee Roberts had an exceptional singing voice. She, as well as most of the actors, seemed to struggle with the music tracks however. I’m not sure if they had difficulty hearing the music, but the timing seemed off for everyone all evening. The music, to me, seemed very fast and offered little flexibility for the cast to emphasize the humor of the show. They barely had time to take a breath between lines, let alone allow for comedic timing. As a result, we lost much of the fun of the show.
The Major General, played by Andrew Whittaker, and Sergeant of Police, Gary Taylor, had the strongest entrances of the night. From their first introduction, both established their characters and maintained good connections with the audience throughout the show. The Sergeant was able to manipulate the music well on the parts that were too low for him and made the awkward, silly actions of the Sergeant seem natural to his character. Whittaker had a unique voice that fit well with the Major General and, though he struggled a bit with “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General,” (let’s be honest, who wouldn’t with lyrics like that!), he pushed through without breaking character.
The rest of the ensemble could have been stronger musically – the group numbers seemed to fall apart a bit, again mostly due to inability to stay with the tracks. They also seemed to be waiting for cues and choreography, concentrating on the steps instead of following naturally. Bethany Taylor’s choreography had much potential and had many elements that were very enjoyable – at one point the circling pirates have the tables turned on them and find themselves being instead surrounded by the daughters, which was a great tactic and used the space and music well. The Pirate ensemble shone even more when they transferred to the roles of Policemen, and the choreography for them was some of the best of the night.
The lighting and sound for the show, done by Adam Cannon, seemed to run smoothly. The only piece of the technical aspects of the show that I didn’t like was the final fight scene’s use of a noise track. Having not had any additional ‘din’ added to the rest of the show, it seemed out of place and sounded far from natural. I would have much rather heard more from the actors and avoided the track.
All in all, the show was good, but with performances running through May, I’m sure the cast will continue to improve with each night and that further experience with the show will iron out the insecurities and hiccups of opening weekend.
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