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The Pirates of Penzance. Adapted
from the comic opera by WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan by Simon Gallaher. Additional
lyrics by Melvyn Morrow. Orchestation by Kevin Hocking.
Directed by Alison Newhouse.Assistant
director and choreographer Jodi Hammond. Musical director Jenna Hinton.
Costume design Helen McIntyre. Lighting design. Zac Harvey (Eclipse), Sound
design Telia Jansen (Eclipse) Properties Master Mel McDonald. Production
Manager and repetiteur Brigid Cummins. Stage Manager Jill Young. Queanbeyan
Players. The Q Theatre. July 3-13 2025. Bookings: 0402353443; 62856290
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
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| Demi Smith as Mabel, David Cannell as the Major General, Adam Best as The Pirate King. Photo: Ben Appleton Photox Canberra |
Ahoy me Hearties and shiver me
timbers! Walk the plank to the Q Theatre and throw yourself into an ocean of
fun, laughter and merriment at Queanbeyan Players’ rollicking production of G
and S’s favourite comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. In a show that
explodes with joyful energy and gusto, director Alison Newhouse, musical
director Jenna Hinton and choreographer and assistant director Jodi Hammond
have brought Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates
of Penzance wonderfully to life. Every aspect of this story of Frederic, a
slave to duty and apprenticed to a Pirate King and his tender-hearted band is
brimful of captivating melodies, clever stage business, beautiful singing and
rousing ensemble chorus song and dance. It
is the perfect antidote to a cold Canberra and Queanbeyan night,
At the opening overture a variety
of Gand S characters from the Gilbert and Sullivan canon emerge from a
large treasure chest as a tribute to the wonderful works of the two giants of
Victorian comic opera. It was obvious that the capacity opening night audience
was in for an imaginative night of G and S delight. This was no Victorian relic. Newhouse and
Hammond have injected the production with slapstick and satire, puns and parody,
adlibs and acrobatics. Gilbert and Sullivan are the mockers of sacred cows such
as the military, the establishment and the constabulary and yet they are
politically astute enough to ensure that their characters pay due allegiance to
their queen (Act ll Finale).
Having recently seen the Hayes Theatre
Company production of The Pirates of
Penzance performed by a terrific company of five performers it was a
refreshing and uplifting experience to see a full cast of eager amateurs present
a highly polished and hilarious full scale production of the work. Queanbeyan
Players Inc. continues its record of high quality amateur productions and the
company’s 60th anniversary production of The Pirates of Penzance is no exception. The cast throw themselves
into the production with all the enthusiasm of a pod of dolphins leaping the
salty brine.
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| Adam Best (Pirate King), Lachlan Elderton (Frederic) |
Aficionados of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s comic operas will instantly recognize the popular tunes sung with aplomb by a talented cast of principals and chorus. Adam Best gives a swashbuckling rendition of I Am A Pirate King and throws himself into the bold abandonment of his character with the occasional backflip and cartwheel. Louise Gaspari’s handmaid Ruth offers a tuneful confession in When Frederic Was A Little Lad and is also a deft handler of the sword in Duty Duty with Frederic and the Pirate King. The two juvenile leads, Frederic and Mabel are played with endearing charm by Lachlan Elderton and Demi Smith. Elderton is a music theatre performer with enormous promise and Smith has a crystal clear soprano voice that would sweeten the sourest lemon.
There is comedy in abundance in
this uproarious revival of a Gilbert and Sullivan favourite. It doesn’t take a
lot to realize that A Policeman’s Lot Is
Not A Happy One with the ridiculous carryings-on of the London Bobbies
under the leadership of Joe Moores’ Sergeant. Choreographer Hammond has had a
lot of fun with the force’s Keystone Cops routines. David ‘Dogbox’ Cannell
proves yet again that he is the master of the patter song with his performance of
I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major
General . Costume designer Helen McIntyre emphasises the parody by giving
the character a fez to wear. I remember Cannell’s hysterically funny portrayal of
the Admiral of the Fleet in Queanbeyan Players’ 2022 production of HMS Pinafore and once again Cannell’s
clownish antics are a highlight of the production. In the tradition of satirical
jibes, Cannell's modern major general grapples with the complexity of social
media with Melvyn Morrow’s additional lyrics about Tik Tok, Snapchat, Facebook
and the like. And then there is the political reference to Peter Who?
Musical director Jenna Hinton and
her excellent orchestra of accomplished musicians seated at the rear of the
stage get in on the act with interjections between the characters and the
musicians. It is a clever example of director Newhouse’s collaborative approach to this 60th
anniversary production. Cast and creatives, including Helen
McIntyre creator of some of the most sumptuous costumes that I have seen on the
Canberra stage, Zac Harvey and his colourful lighting design and Telia Jansen whose
sound design adds to the atmosphere.
Queanbeyan Players Inc has earned
a rightful place as top producers of
first class performances of popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. This
production of The Pirates of Penzance
will warm the cockles of your heart and
launch you on a journey of sheer entertainment.
Photos by Ben Appleton PHOTOX Canberra
