By Kathryn Olsen
The CenterPoint Legacy Theatre in Centerville is known for the quality of its productions and its new rendition of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic, The Pirates of Penzance is no exception. It is definitely a product of late-19th-Century England (the plot twist hinges on loyalty to Queen Victoria and the star-crossed lovers pledge to be faithful for 63 years until they can marry in 1940), but the company’s staging has brought a quite modern flair to this operetta that’s been around for well over a century. When I acquired tickets, I immediately offered my spare to my mother. She is the reason I can quote most of the show verbatim and I knew I could get a second opinion if I needed one from her. The side effect was that she gleefully told the usher about the time that, as a three-year-old, I sang the most famous aria in the ladies’ room at Lincoln Center. I have seen productions ranging from middle schools to professional companies and even spent a summer choreographing and directing the part of a musical revue that featured several of the choruses and solos from Pirates. I was quite looking forward to being impressed and seeing how well the company brought to life this show that’s been a theater staple since the days when D’Oyly Carte staged it London’s Savoy Theater.
It is at this point in my review of a show that I normally rhapsodize on the standout soloists and principal players, but while they were all fantastic in their own right, I have to begin singing the praises of this production by admiring the cohesive cast. Liz Christensen, the production’s director and choreographer, said in her introduction that “theatre is a team sport. There is no element of this production that belongs solely to one individual” and this production was an excellent fusion of various disciplines. The police seemed to have all taken clogging classes. The pirates step-dance and have secret handshakes. The bevy of beautiful maidens combine show choir techniques and childhood games. When all of the disparate ensembles interact in a single scene, it is even more entertaining than W.S. Gilbert’s famously comedic lyrics.
When a production relies so heavily on several smaller ensemble casts, the people at the helm of each group are essential to effective casting. Monte Garcia plays the Pirate King who refuses to go straight because compared to respectability, piracy is “comparatively honest work.” During choruses and his famous “Oh Better Far to Live and Die,” he has the flair and sense of drama that reminded us of P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, yet acts out the dialogue-based scenes with a subtlety that let us all in on his character’s cunning and sense of humor.
On the other hand, we had the ‘good guys,’ led by ex-pirate Frederic (Alan Smith), his future father-in-law the Modern Major General (Jason Wadsworth), and the Sergeant of Police (Matthew Stokes). Smith plays the young hero with amusing solemnity, especially when oblivious to the twitter-pated young women trying relentlessly to catch his attention. The subtitle of this operetta is “The Slave of Duty” and Frederic, who has known no other life for 13 years, approaches absurd plot twists and persuasive turns rationally because he’s used to duty coming before all.
Wadsworth is the highest-ranking member of the motley crew and commands respect. It’s a difficult role to do in a new way, but Wadsworth’s eccentricities and sometimes-distracted nature make him a very likable father figure to everyone. He supplies guidance to one and all, from his romantically-ambitious daughters to the young man who hopes to wed one of them.
Stokes’ best interactions are with his own police force, where his subordinates often act as something of a Greek chorus that changes its mind at the drop of a copper’s helmet. He has plenty of bravado as long as no one mentions mortality rates and effectively plays up his innate sympathy for criminals who just want to live a normal life.
For me, the most crucial group on the stage has always been that of the daughters of Major-General Stanley. They enter as frivolous and carefree spirits who are eager to see what they can get away with, but must grow into roles where they take a stand for their own choices. Edith (ShaRee Larsen), Kate (Megan Cundick), and Isabel (Maddy Johnson) stand out as the daughters who dare, but aren’t always voices of reason. All of the daughters have individual stage quirks that make them unique, but Larsen, Cundick, and Johnson leave no doubt as to why they are take-charge sorts.
Mabel is played almost sardonically by Sarah Jane Watts, who seems to effortlessly fly through Arthur Sullivan’s demanding operatic solos, but also has a flair for even making her cadenzas chiding or flirtatious. While Edith and Kate are bold, Watt as Mabel is frank and brave. While Frederic sees his actions as directed by duty, Mabel approaches everything with an eye on her level of loyalty.
Charlene Grigg plays nursemaid Ruth, whose allegiances and roles change from song to song. She is an underappreciated role that was famously played by Angela Lansbury, but Grigg plays her with confidence and craftiness. When her plans to wed the hero go awry, she joins forces with the Pirate King and ensnares the protagonist with ill-disguised self-satisfaction. She may be the one who betrays Frederic by claiming to be beautiful at the appalling age of 47, but no one can deny that she is one of the most captivating characters on the stage.
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An unexpected contribution is made by the supertitle screen. While this is ordinarily quite helpful for the audience who might not be as familiar with the show, we find ourselves noticing things that were definitely not written by W.S. Gilbert. When the maidens sing “Alas, there’s not one maiden here whose homely face and bad complexion have caused all hope to disappear of ever winning man’s affection,” the supertitle summarized it as “We’re hot babes.” The Major General boasts of being able to “whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore” to a supertitle of “Self-referential shout-out!” in honor of another wildly-popular Gilbert and Sullivan play, H.M.S. Pinafore. Act II opens with “O dry the glist’ning tear that dews that martial cheek” and the supertitle is a crying emoji. It also provides commentary, accompanying Ruth’s attempts to woo Frederic with “AWKWARD!” and “Oh here is love and here is truth” by proclaiming “LUV 4 EVA!” And I’m fairly sure that “’Sup, Poetry, You Fly Lady” is not the intended meaning of the Act I chorale, “Hail, Poetry, Thou Heav’n-Born Maid,” but it is good for a laugh.
Most helpful to neophytes is the glossary in the program. It explained clever references that made sense to Victorian English theater-goers, but aren’t standard vernacular for Americans of the 21st Century.
In short, CenterPoint Legacy Theatre exposes the audience to a beloved classic while making it accessible in a way that will delight audiences both young and old. If children don’t get the reference to corrupt politicians, they’ll still enjoy the fact that the pirates tell time by flopping onto the deck to form a human sundial. Someone who isn’t used to all emotions being sung for five minutes at a time will still enjoy the moments when marauders who boast of keeping a low profile fire cannons while singing “With Catlike Tread” at a near-deafening volume. And no one can fail to appreciate the detail of distance being covered by an almost Monty Python-esque use of miniature props or figures on either side of the stage.
The costumes by Jeana Forthman and Nina Smith are imaginative and fantastic. The daughters are either steampunk or Lolita and change into sleepwear by wearing filmy robes over their usual costumes. The pirates have costumes ranging from a quite military uniform to things that would be appropriate to the Black Pearl crew. The police are all in an abbreviated uniform that allows you to see how flexible and quick-footed they all are. Bryan Christensen’s sets for the Cornish coast as well as a ruined castle are time-appropriate and beautifully done, while Seth Miller’s lighting design is subtle and effective in portraying the passage of time or mood of the scene.
This show only runs until September 1, so round up your bevy of beautiful maidens, pour the pirate sherry, and head to CenterPoint Legacy Theatre’s ingenious rendition of The Pirates of Penzance before the cast sets sail.
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre presents The Pirates of Penzance by Sir Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert. Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert, Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, 525 N 400 W, Centerville, UT 84014
August 3-September 1, 2018 7:30 PM, matinee Saturday 2:00 PM
Tickets: $14-27
Contact: 801-298-1302
CenterPoint Legacy Theater Facebook Page
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