 |
| Sarah Hoeppner, Bridget Thomas Witzke, Courtney Glenny, John Youngblood, Mary Rose Pinotti, Kelly Moore & Abigail Maupin in Pirates of Penzance. Photo – Bill Brymer. |
Pirates of Penzance
By Gilbert and Sullivan
Directed by Gregory Maupin
Music Direction by Scott Anthony
Review by Rachel White
Entire contents are copyright © 2013 Rachel White.
All rights reserved.
There is something about a warm summer evening in
the park that puts one in the mood for an operetta about pirates. It seems that
the work of Gilbert and Sullivan fits so perfectly into the Iroquois space that
the outdoor environment becomes a part of the experience. I couldn’t imagine
watching Pirates of Penzance inside
in a stuffy old theater. Not to mention that Gregory Maupin and his company
deliver such a well-crafted production filled with such mischievousness and
quirky humor that an old work is made fresh for a new audience.
The style of Pirates
is a bit dusty, with a very presentational performance style and a plot that is
simple and slightly ludicrous. As the story goes, the pirate Frederick (Tony
Pursley) is being released from his apprenticeship with a band of pirates on
his twenty-first birthday. On land, he meets a girl and falls in love before
realizing that he was born on leap year. His apprenticeship, therefore, will
not end for another sixty years. The girl of course, being the faithful
ingénue, will wait for him. It’s a bit silly, but a complex plot and deep
characterization aren’t why we’re there. It’s about the music.
Abigail Maupin plays Frederick’s love interest, the
beautiful Mable. As soon as Maupin enters, she sets herself apart from the
chorus just through the force of her personality; you feel she’s special. Her
performance of "Poor Wandering One" is
heartfelt and compassionate. Other standouts were Major General Stanley’s (John
Younblood) feat of vocal and verbal dexterity in "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" and Tony Pursley’s
sweet tenor in "Oh Here Is Love and Here
Is Truth." The lead performers have behind them a strong supporting chorus
of pirates and young women who remain impressively together through some very
challenging music. My only issue was that some of the lyrics are difficult to
understand, particularly when there is a lot a movement.
As is expected in a play like this, the situations in whicch the characters find themselves are a little crazy. Frederick becomes furious at
the aging Ruth (Judith Youngblood) for telling him she is beautiful when he
discovers that she is not. Maupin embraces these absurdities for what they are and doesn’t ignore them or mock them. The results are some genuinely funny
moments in a production that is obviously a labor of love. The actors' and
director’s passion and commitment are apparent. All are backed up by a solid
orchestra, led by Scott Anthony, that pulls it all together.
Pirates of Penzance
August 8-17 8 p.m.
Iroquois Amphitheater
1080 Amphitheater Road
Louisville, KY 40214
502-368-5865
No comments:
Post a Comment