MAKE AMERICA GREAT (BRITAIN) AGAIN

 New York Gilbert&Sullivan Players' production of H.M.S. Pinafore

We wish the title of this review had been our own creation but it is not. It is just an example of the clever approach taken by New York Gilbert&Sullivan Players in adapting a Victorian work of quintessential British flavor to the tastes of 21st century New Yorkers.  W.S.Gilbert's clever lyrics may contain a few words that are outside of our vocabulary but the rhymes tickle our brain whilst Arthur Sullivan's memorable tunes tickle our ears to the point that we are suffering from what is known as "ear worms". If we are going to endure this malady it may just as well be caused by good tunes as by boring jingles.

Contributing to the rapturous response of the appreciative audience were a number of contemporary interpolations, not so very different from the liberties taken in The Mikado with "I've got a little list". Lest we deprive you of the surprise effect of these liberties, we will confine our mention to just one. Dear Reader, you must be aware of the nonsensical meme of "6-7" and you will enjoy a good laugh as the cast drives that one into the ground. The schtick were abundant in this iteration of the company's frequent revival; if some were groan worthy, let us not be the one to say so. We smirked, chuckled, and guffawed right along with the rest of the audience. That the gloom of this rainy evening failed to dampen the high spirits of the audience was obvious.

To those readers who have never seen this delightfully entertaining show, we will tell you that Gilbert and Sullivan made their reputation in Victorian England by skewering British society, especially politics and class structure. In the case of H.M.S Pinafore, the exalted reputation of the British navy and the limitations of class structure are the butt of their humor.

A "lowly" British seaman (Cameron Smith) falls in love with the Captain's daughter (Michelle Seipel). The Captain (David Auxier) hopes she will wed the aging and awkward First Lord of the Admiralty (James Mills) who boards the ship with his very controlling Cousin Hebe (Victoria Devany) as well as a singing and dancing chorus of "Sisters, Cousins, and Aunts". Not exactly the villain of the piece is one Dick Deadeye (Matthew Wages) who brings a very funny negativity on board. The denouement rests upon the shoulders of the (not so) Little Buttercup (Angela Christine Smith). Filling out the cast are David Wannen and Quinto Ott.

Maestro Albert Bergeret conducted the orchestra and it is they whom we blame for the "ear worm"; we cannot get those tunes out of our head, nor do we wish to.  Listed as Director was Mr. Mills himself with Mr. Auxier listed as Co-

director and Choreographer. The production moved swiftly and the stage business, which was abundant and bordering upon excessive, never interfered with the singing. We also enjoyed the choreography (originally by Bill Fabris) which involved lots of hornpipes for the crew and some delicate dancing by the Sisters, Cousins, and Aunts. Indeed the production is a beautiful one with a most realistic set (the Quarterdeck) by Albère and sensitive lighting by Benjamin Weill.

Although this work premiered in 1876, it has held up as well as those by the contemporaneous Verdi, although the comic style reminded us more of Rossini. Now here's the anticipated quibble. Although theater goers of today are accustomed to amplified voices, this opera lover is not. Whilst enjoying the performances, the acting, the directing, and the libretto, we feel unable to comment on the voices. Not one stood out as remarkably good or bad, just serviceable.  With comprehension varying from one performer to the next, and from one moment to the next, some of Gilbert's clever dialogue did not come across. Subtitles would have been welcome.

The performances of the romantic couple were overshadowed by the larger than life performances of the rest of the cast who are company regulars. We have come to expect these winning performances and would settle for no less. We had a marvelously entertaining evening and we hope you will too, if you are able to secure tickets. The show runs through the weekend and continues next weekend at The Kaye Playhouse of Hunter College. 

We are already anticipating the company's production of Utopia, Limited in April.

© meche kroop

SINGING PIRATES AND DANCING COPS

                                                       Those kindly thoughtful pirates

"No, Frederic, it cannot be. I don’t think much of our profession, but, contrasted with respectability, it is comparatively honest." Thus spake The Pirate King to his apprentice Frederic revealing to an ever enthusiastic audience the hypocrisy of the respectable. In the present day, news sources are full of tales about genuine and very scary pirates who attack merchant ships for political causes or for economic benefit. Not so the pirates of Gilbert and Sullivan's masterwork The Pirates of Penzance.

Spoiler Alert! One doesn't find out until the final scene that the pirates are all nobleman gone astray, fine fellows all with a soft spot for orphans, and eligible to wed the numerous wards of Major-General Stanley, whose patter song "I am a Model of a Modern Major-General" is a model of clever rhymes that tickle the ear. W. S. Gilbert was a whiz of a wordsmith indeed.

The beloved Savoyards skewered British social customs and legal systems to the delight of their Victorian audience and continue to delight modern audiences, even though there are words that are somewhat unfamiliar. We read the libretto in advance and were obliged to look up such words as "costermonger" and such terms as "a Ward in Chancery" but one can enjoy the story, the tunes, and the sound of the rhymes and rhythms even if one does not understand every word.

Still, there are a plethora of couplets that one can appreciate such as our favorite: "You shall quickly be parsonified, Conjugally matrimonified, By a doctor of divinity, Who resides in this vicinity". That Arthur Sullivan's melodies amplify Gilbert's wordsmithery does not make it a periphery, but it does make us so dithery.  Oh dear!  Their wit is contagious and a bit outrageous. (No more, we promise!)

Although we have been fortunate enough to have seen the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company when they toured the United States some time ago, we prefer the performances of New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players who always deliver a performance that is dramatically valid and musically rewarding. We've never been disappointed by the artists who seem to enjoy being onstage as much as we enjoy being in the audience.

2025 marks their 50th season and last night we were thrilled to be in the audience for opening night of The Pirates of Penzance. Directed by Albert Bergeret, the performance was full of wit and over-the- top shenanigans. We would hate to spoil it for you! David Auxier's  witty choreography added greatly to the fun and, in a highly amusing modernizing twist, employed some choreography suggestive of Bob Fosse with appropriate use of headgear. 

Joseph Rubin's conducting made every sparkling tune come to life and the melodies are still ringing in our ears. Even the lighting by Benjamin Weill added to the fun; in a clever bit, the  Sergeant of Police, played by the loose limbed Mr. Auxier himself, interacted with the person handling the spotlight, motioning for it to be directed towards himself. This was only one of several inventive and amusing moments.

But we are talking about musical theater (operetta?) so let us concern ourselves with the voices. Regrettably amplified (my companion and I both found the sound a bit muddy at times with some artists sounding clearer than others), it is difficult to evaluate vocal quality with the exception of that of soprano Claire Leyden. Her coloratura was crisply and musically rendered, with Sullivan's writing sending up Lucia's mad scene from Donizetti's Lucia de Lamermoor. 

The acting was superb all around with Alex Corson portraying the innocent Frederic about to "graduate" from his apprenticeship with a pirate band, due to the disarticulation of the word "pilot".  He has never seen a woman except for his nursemaid Ruth who would like to marry him. These days, everyone is butt-hurt about something or other and protests abound from those experiencing racism in the theater. As a middle-aged woman, we personally object to the ageism in this work, since Ruth is discarded as being too old for Frederic! We are laughing up our sleeve since we wouldn't change a word of this delightful piece.

The loyal Ruth was wonderfully performed by Angela Christine Smith. The aforementioned Ms. Leyden was charming as Mabel, the only one of Major-General Stanley's passel of wards willing to show interest and affection for the "Poor Wand'ring One" whose profession as a pirate was deemed unacceptable for respectable young ladies. 

The role of Major-General Stanley was taken by James Mills who dazzled us with his rapid-fire patter song "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" in which he pretended to be groping for Gilbert's clever rhymes.

Matthew Wages made a marvelous Pirate King and convinced us that "it is indeed a glorious thing to be a Pirate King"! As his Lieutenant Samuel, Adam Hirama Wells had just the right spirit.

Three of Stanley's wards were named in the program -- Hannah Holmes, Alexandra Imbrosci-Viera, and Laura Sudduth but there was no way to tell which artist played which girl.. Well, one of them performed some lovely ballet moves.

We will repeat how excellent was the direction and staging. Among the  numerous sight gags we particularly enjoyed the one in which the gaggle of girls created a train with twirling parasols as wheels. Their beautiful and most apropos costumes were created by Quinto Ott and Gail Wofford, whose artistry most radical made sense of  costuming piratical (Oh, stop us before we begin speaking like Gilbert!)

We cannot keep from mentioning how successful this company is at attracting audiences without directorial co-opting. We are in Victorian England where duty is a major value as is love of The Queen. Thanks for honoring the time and place without attempts to make the work "relevant".

By the end of the performance, our face was sore from smiling. Dear Reader, next weekend offers more opportunities to enjoy this experience and you should make sure that you do!

This review was NOT written by AI. We take full responsibility for it, errors and all.

©meche kroop

 

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RUDDIGORE or THE WITCH'S CURSE

Daniel Greenwood, Sarah Caldwell Smith, David Macaluso, Matthew Wages, Hannah Holmes,

 David Wannen and Angela Christine Smith

 We have been enjoying the fruits of New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players' labors for quite a long time but we never realized that the company has been delighting audiences for half a century. During our time in New York City we have witnessed their growth in size, professionalism, and audience impact.  Every season brings new delights with constant reminders of why HMS Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance are such enduring classics as well as fresh introductions to Gilbert and Sullivan's  lesser known work like last night's Ruddigore.

The three hours spent in their company last night flew by with nary a dull moment. Ballads, madrigals, patter songs, and choruses tumbled over one another, exhibiting Arthur Sullivan's keen sense of melody. W. H. Gilbert's lyrics are replete with clever rhymes and plays on words. Although we have often heard excerpts from Ruddigore on many a prior occasion, this is the first time we had the opportunity to enjoy the entire work--and enjoy we did!

As in their other works, Gilbert's text manages to skewer all of Great Britain's "sacred cows"--aristocratic ancestry, serious opera, the Royal Navy, social etiquette, the institution of marriage, religion, and even income tax. The story concerns a hereditary baronetcy tainted by a long held curse that requires each baronet to commit a daily crime or die a horrible death. In a gloss on religious hypocrisy it just wouldn't do to commit a sole crime early in the day and then compensate by doing good for the remainder of the day.

The last baronet has apparently staged his own demise in order to escape the curse, and has gone into hiding as the shy and simple farmer Robin Oakapple, portrayed by the terrific tenor David Macaluso. The professional bridesmaids of the village, given some lovely choruses and dances (choreographed by David Auxier), have not had a wedding in months and are champing at the bit. They would like to see the lovely Rose Maybud wed.  Soprano Sarah Caldwell Smith, aside from having a lovely voice, excelled at creating a character who hides behind her etiquette book and whose willingness to wed seems not fixed on any particular suitor.

Robin is so shy and Rose is so constrained by the rules of etiquette that they cannot manage a courtship. Their duet "I know a youth" was delightful and charming.  Robin's foster brother Richard Dauntless is not so shy! As portrayed by Daniel Greenwood, he is an outwardly affable sailor who agrees to court Rose for Robin but decides to win her for himself. Alas, poor Robin!

There is worse in store for the hapless hero. His disguise is revealed by that old snake-in-the-grass Richard; Robin's brother, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, who has assumed the baronetcy, is thrilled to be relieved of his ancestral duty. Matthew Wages seemed to enjoy playing the evil man in "Oh, why am I moody and sad?". as much as he enjoyed playing him as a proper citizen when relieved of his position, leaving us to wonder "does the role make the man?"

One of the many highlights of the evening was the performance of mezzo-soprano Hannah Holmes as Mad Margaret who manages to outdo every mad scene you have ever seen.  In "Cheerily carols the lark", it was not just the singing that impressed us but the body movement amounting to a dance of madness. Once reunited with her beloved she assumes a staid mien, only occasionally erupting into the crazies from which she is brought back to normalcy by the safe word "Basingstoke" which probably had a significance for the late 19th century audience.

Vocally impressive was the contralto instrument of Angela Christine Smith as Ruth's aunt Dame Hannah.  We were happy to see her reunited with her long lost lover (or at least with his ghost) Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, portrayed by David Wannen. The tender duet "There Grew a Little Flower" placed two great voices in pleasing harmony.

Rounding out the cast was Patrick Lord Remmert who created the character of Robin's faithful servant Old Adam Goodheart, a "Vally-desham" in the titles which we figured out was Brit-speak for valet de chambre. 

Maestro Albert Bergeret brilliantly led his orchestra through the constant flow of musical numbers and also co-directed with Mr. Auxier. We found no fault with the direction which emphasized the melodramatic nature of the story and its stock characters, which are as familiar to the English speaking world as commedia del'arte is to the Italian speaking world. 

The set design was most satisfactory, attributed to Albére, after Edward Gorey.  Act I created a seaside village with a house on one side and a shed of some sort on the other, reminding us of the set for the ballet Giselle. Act II took place in the ancestral home of a the Murgatroyd's with an entire wall of ancestral portraits which, in a stroke of directorial genius, came to life.

The colorful costumes by Gail J. Wofford were a propos to time and place, adding to the success of the performance. We greet the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players with a grand. "Huzzah"!!!! We can barely wait for their production of The Pirates of Penzance in January.

© meche kroop

WE'VE GOT A LITTLE LIST

 The Gilbert and Sullivan Players presents THE MIKADO

Dank was the night and gloomy were our spirits; but three minutes of Arthur Sullivan's tunes and our smile might have lit up the stage of The Kaye Playhouse. For three hours we were transported to the Japan of Victorian Era England. It hadn't been long since Japan had become open to the West and the English were fascinated by Japanese artifacts.

Indeed, in the clever prologue devised by David Auxier-Loyola, we get to see an imagined scene in the offices of the D'Oyly Carte Company in which W.S. Gilbert (played by Mr. Auxier himself) gets his idea for The Mikado from examining a selection of Japanese objets d'art. Gilbert and his composer partner Arthur Sullivan (played by David Macaluso) had just premiered a hit and were looking for inspiration for their next creation.

Perhaps Mr. Auxier was inspired by Mike Leigh's 1999 film Topsy-Turvy which we highly recommend to all lovers of Gilbert and Sullivan since their tempestuous but artistically rewarding partnership was given a most satisfying treatment.

Getting back to the music that so rapidly changed our mood, Maestro Joseph Rubin put his orchestra through their lively paces with conductorial glee. We have been humming the tunes all night and those ear-worms have sustained that smile we spoke of. There is a reason why certain works of art become classics; in the case of music theater, the public wants tunes and rhythm, married to an engaging story with lyrics that fit the music, just as "the punishment fits the crime".

Although we despair of attempts by narcissistic directors to make their mark on the classics and thereby wind up destroying them (i.e. the current production of Bizet's Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera), we have no objection to the little touches employed in this production to bring the work into the 21st century. Do not worry, Dear Reader, Nanki-Poo does not carry a cell phone. We do believe it is customary for the director of this operetta to update The Mikado's hit number (which we call "I've Got a Little List") to include contemporary references to politics and social customs. We are not going to spoil it for you, Dear Reader; you will have to go and hear for yourself, be you lucky enough to get a ticket.

David Wannen made a fine, funny, and arrogant Mikado and his excellent performance was matched by the entire cast. We particularly enjoyed the Nanki-Poo of tenor John Charles McLaughlin who was more than commonly affecting in his creation of a young innocent Candide type youth. His "A Wand'ring Minstrel I" was sung with pure tone, lovely phrasing, and dramatic conviction.

As his beloved Yum-Yum, Rebecca L. Hargrove delivered one of the best ever examples of female vanity in her major aria "The Sun Whose Rays are All Ablaze". She provided plenty of humor in her off-again on-again intention to wed our hero, dependent upon whether she would be buried alive, a situation handled with dry British humor.

The part of Koko, Lord High Executioner of Titipu, was portrayed by Mr. Macaluso with admirable physicality that garnered much laughter from the audience. His desperate courtship of Katisha could be considered a lesson in clowning. This made his tender aria "Willow, Tit-Willow" even more soulful by contrast.

The character of Pooh-Bah is a matchless vehicle for comic acting and Matthew Wages more than lived up to the challenge with physical humor to spare. Just look at the gestures he employs as he describes his multiple offices and his greedy eyes as he extracts bribes without compunction.

None of these characters could be considered evil, just opportunistic. The character who comes closest to evil is the unpleasant Katisha (played by Hannah Holmes), the "Daughter-in-law Elect", but even she has a softer side. It was fun watching her melt to Koko's love song in contrast with her customary rage. This reminds us that miserable people are most often suffering from a lack of love. When she interrupts The Mikado's entrance with her insistent "daughter-in-law elect" we see the attention-seeking as an attempt to compensate for being rejected earlier by Nanki-Poo. She knows she is unattractive and therefore shows excessive pride in her shoulder and elbow. Her costume reminded us of that of Carabosse, the evil fairy in the ballet Sleeping Beauty.

Which reminds us to credit Quinto Ott for the colorful and apt Costume Design. The blend of Victorian fashion with Japanese elements is most successful. The female chorus is decked out in high Victorian style with bustles and exposed crinolettes. The male chorus ("We are Gentlemen of Japan") is dressed in typical Victorian gentlemen fashion with some Japanese decoration.

Anshuman Bhatia designed the simple but effective set with Koko's tailor shop stage right and the Titipu railway station stage left, lent verisimiltude by the sound effect of the approaching train, heralding the arrival of the "Three Little Maids from School" and later The Mikado and Katisha.

Elizabeth Cernadas had the role of Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo was played by Sarah Hutchison.

Mr. Auxier did a fine job directing and choreographing, and Maestro Albert Bergeret served as Music Director. Kudos to all!

Since we always need some minor detail to grumble about, it would be some ineffective enunciation on the part of the chorus and some of the female performers. Surtitles would have been welcome since Gilbert's text is so very clever. It seems a shame to miss a word of it.

© meche kroop