Pirates pillage Metro theatre
Yarrrrrr! A good-old fashioned operetta brings relief from general entertainment mayhem
by Paul Trevor
The Metropolitan
by William Moore- The Metropolitan
Metro student Daniel Langhoff as the Pirate King, is supported by his castmates in the Metro production of "The Pirates of Penzance" April 23 in the King Center.
In this modern age where explosions, murder and mayhem pass for entertainment, it's refreshing to enjoy a classic romp and rollick as in the operetta Pirates of Penzance, now playing at the Eugenia Rawls Courtyard Theatre in the King Center.
In the play penned by Gilbert and Sullivan, Metro students completely embrace the style and tom foolery intended by the nineteenth century authors and pull it off without a false step.
Congratulations and kudos to Director Marilyn Hetzel and her cast of 30-plus actors and musicians for a delightful evening of comedy, song and dance-sans present-day unpleasantness.
Oh, there is mayhem, all right; but of the most traditional and innocent type. There is plenty of scurrying about, cavorting and ensemble numbers, but it is pure joy to watch and the cast succeeds at drawing the audience in and permitting them to suspend reality for the two-hour production.
In addition to the on-stage presentation, the Department of Communications' Theater Program provides a study guide along with its playbill. This ten page glossary of terms, biographies of the playwrights and historical backgrounds fill in all the vacant spaces created by the six generations' worth of remove from the original production. This chap-book of info, written by Maggie Stillman, helps explain the jokes and references that may escape our modern sensibilities. The study guide is a thoughtful addition to the overall intelligent presentation by all those involved.
The operetta plot involves a band of soft-hearted pirates who've weighed anchor in the unlikely port of Penzance, a place in Southwest Britain not known for pirate activity. This is clearly part of the joke that runs throughout the play: by reputation pirates are bloodthirsty cutthroats bent on plunder and these pirates are generous and moral.
They are not very good at their chosen trade.
One of their number, Frederic, played by Eric Lupher is a pirate by mistake and much of the action revolves around his attempts to redeem himself. He appears to channel Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow-since the part calls for a slightly dim, flamboyant iconoclast-and he accomplishes this with aplomb.
Erin Schneider as Ruth, the pirate den-mother, is also excellent. But the show's biggest part, the hilarious Major-General Stanley as portrayed by Jake Williamson, contains the scene-stealing number "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General".
This traditional rendition is followed immediately by a reprise of the number, furnished with modern references to President Bush and John Kerry, Martha Stewart and Arnold Swartzenegger.
The reprise is the cast and director's nod to present-day sensibilities. Gilbert and Sullivan songs with modern-day updates are a theater tradition, according to Hetzel.
A segment of cavorting performed by the female actors is a nod to Bob Fosse ala "All that Jazz," she said.
Walking into the Eugenia Rawls Courtyard theatre, one is immediately taken by the intimacy of the space.
Next, the patron notices the sets designed by Laura Love and constructed by Jim Schulz and the set tech/construction crew, which includes Peter Trinh, Ryan Hibbard and the members of Metro's Intro to Theatre and Intro to Stagecraft classes.
The early arriver is treated to the study guide for boning up on the concepts of musical theatre, pirates, and the vocabulary of Gilbert and Sullivan.
The Pirates then skulk on stage, apparently under the influence of "Pirate Sherry" which is another inside joke, as pirates are reputed to drink rum, not expensive wines.
To the credit of all concerned, that is exactly the effect: barely controlled mayhem, no small feat with 30actors on stage.
The operative words to describe the concept of this production are "serious camp," according to the director. In truth, the style of humor is reminiscent of Monty Python's Flying Circus and the bumbling police in the play remind this observer of the Keystone Cops of the silent film era.
One has to wonder how much of our modern-day humor awareness stems from this style of "comedy of manners" that was invented by Gilbert and Sullivan.
It is difficult to admit that perhaps all we moderns have added to entertainment is the boom and bam. Metro's Theater Program has shown us how to have fun without the superfluous noise and vulgarity.
Our advice: go see this play; it's wonderful.
The play continues through May 2. for times and ticket information go to mscd.edu. |
