AISLE SAY Berkshires
The Pirates of Penzance
by Gilbert & Sullivan
(as produced originally by the New
York Shakespeare Theatre)
Directed by John Rando
featuring Jane Carr, David Garrison, Kyle Dean Massey
Scarlett Strallen, Will
Swenson
at Barrington Stage Company (Boyd-Quinson Mainstage)
until
August 13; 413-236-8888
The Pirates
of Penzance have landed on Barrington
Stage, in Pittsfield, and make no mistake – they mean business and they won’t
clear out until they’re good and
ready. Let that be your warning to get tickets, lots
of them, and play nice. Though since it’s the world of Gilbert & Sullivan, there’s probably no advisory required,
except to say that you better prepare yourselves for a
very, very good time!
The fabled operetta about a Pirate King, an innocent
young man (Frederic) and the dazzling young lass (Mabel) plays very loose with
dramatic structure and much larger with satiric wit and barbs aimed at
then-familiar institutions and attitudes. In the early 1980’s, Joseph Papp’s
New York Shakespeare Festival produced their ‘new’ version of the piece to
great acclaim and a substantial Broadway run followed. Always astute, Papp cast
the show with a young Kevin Kline and added marquee luster by including Rex
Smith, then a teen heartthrob and teen magazine pin-up favourite, and Linda
Ronstadt.
In 2016, we have
less marquee dazzle,
perhaps, but the company assembled has to be among the very best that
Barrington Stage has ever gathered for a single project. And the cast
of twenty-two, accompanied by an orchestra of eight members, is yet
another
example of how BSC speeds along in their development and we do our best
to keep
up. The opening night audience was ready to welcome this new mainstage
production,
but no more than the onstage company itself. The theatre has been
slightly
immersed in the action of the operetta and the opening sequence
confirmed that
we would be actively engaged throughout: the pre-show warning to keep
the
aisles clear at all times is not an obligatory nod.
Direction by John Rando, musical direction by Darren R. Cohen and choreography by Joshua Bergasse complements all aspects of the piece and
demonstrates what is possible when the whole is meant to be greater than its
component parts, not that any single element is wanting. The playing style is aggressively
shtick-laden, so much so that there is a second act fatigue factor that sets in
before the final curtain. Perhaps it is a matter of trying too hard at the
beginning and being unable to fully sustain the two-plus hours. Perhaps it is
the challenge of working with so full a score and, with only a couple of
exceptions, aiming to find great humour in every passage. I did enjoy the quiet
ballads and the audience enjoyed having time to breathe and simply admire the
singers’ skills. Scarlett Strallen
and Kyle Dean Massey, as Mabel and
Frederic, brought warmth and grace to their solos and duets. The abrupt shifts
from tender to ribald lack connective tissue, though that may evolve as the run
proceeds.
Will
Swenson, as the Pirate King, is the
engine of the production and he hurls himself into every moment he has onstage.
His many skills are an absolute asset to the spirit of the show. “Oh, Better
Far to Live and Die”, his opening number, lets you know that you’ll be in very
able hands throughout the performance. His brashness is strengthened by his
warmth and lack of ego – in a role that is unsparingly self-serving and
self-centered, it’s doubly effective when the actor isn’t cashing in on either
of those traits.
Alex
Gibson, as the Police, brings the
perfect balance to the style and tone that the production is aiming to achieve.
He is less emphatic in his playing, though he misses nothing in the process.
His physical dexterity is impressive and his comedy is quietly and assuredly
confident. The role is a natural for winning over the audience, but when the
performer meets the potential of the role, as Gibson does here, the audience
holds nothing back and waits for more.
Minor caveats: the patter songs are faster
than the performers can happily manage, aside from Swenson’s brief reprise in
the second act; the female ensemble numbers are more shrill than pleasant and
the lyrics are often lost. Very minor caveats.
Go to see The
Pirates of Penzance. Bring your friends. Bring your kids and grandkids. And
anyone else who needs to have a great, good time.
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