Friday night's performance of "The Pirates of Penzance," put on by Brown University Gilbert and Sullivan, offered exceptional comedic acting performances, resulting in a compelling version of the operetta that pleased the half-capacity crowd gathered in Salomon 101.
One of Gilbert and Sullivan's more famous works, "The Pirates of Penzance" is about an apprenticed pirate, Frederic, the conundrums of his love life and his conflicting loyalties to his pirate comrades and his country.
Although the operetta's plot ended suddenly and a little confusingly, the musical and comedic performances by all the cast members made up for this minor flaw. In particular, the male leads, Jonathan Ichikawa GS and Alexander Ebin '07, displayed their wondrous singing and acting abilities as the Pirate King and Frederic, respectively. Ichikawa's deeper, more resonating voice complemented Ebin's clear tenor.
The orchestra pit supported the actors with cheerful melodies showcasing fluttering winds, pizzicato and trumpet and oboe solos. The pit and singers performed as an ensemble, never drowning one another out and always playing together.
The other main characters, Major-General Stanley and Mabel, played by Samuel Baltimore '05 and Michelle Menard '06, respectively, also impressed the audience with their vocal abilities. Baltimore sang his song, titled "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General," with incredible speed and articulation while maintaining his British accent. Menard, despite her petite stature, out-sang everyone else on the stage with her amazing range and clarity.
Generally, the entire cast acted well, with each member adding its own bits of humor to each dramatic scene - characteristic of a Gilbert and Sullivan production. For instance, when the pirates held the Major hostage, one pirate outstretched his hand and gently stroked the Major's bald head. These comedic touches elicited even more laughter from the audience than the silly dialogue.
As director Ron Beimel '06 explained, "Being one of the top three most famous Gilbert and Sullivan productions, it has been done several times and has acquired many traditions. So I wanted to take these traditions and do them differently. My goal was to make the show as funny as possible."
Beimel fulfilled his goal, playing a particularly instrumental role in the success of the production: in addition to serving as director, he was also conductor and musical director.
The operetta concluded on an ironically happy note, a common characteristic of Gilbert and Sullivan productions, as every pirate physically carried away a wife for himself. The audience left the theater in high spirits, much like the marauding swashbucklers themselves.
