Christopher Schwartz and Philip Goldfarb Styrt in The Pirates of Penzance
Mischa: Arrr! Ye ready?
Kitty: Aye, aye, captain!
M: Who lives in a ship full of orphans at sea?
K: Pirates of Penzance!
M: With singing and dancing and idiocy!
K: Pirates of Penzance!
M: For duty and patter and tales of great woe!
K: Pirates of Penzance!
M: Just head to St. Ambrose and witness their show!
K: Pirates of Penzance!
M: Ahoy, me hearties! The Pirates of Penzance, directed by Daniel Hale, with music direction by Nathan Windt, is on stage now at St. Ambrose University. We caught the opening-night performance on April 25.
K: This comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan follows Frederic (Charles Murphy), a young man mistakenly apprenticed to a tenderhearted band of pirates led by the Pirate King (Christopher Schwartz). When Frederic falls in love with Mabel (Abi Jensen), daughter of the eccentric Major General Stanley (Zach Ulmer), duty, romance, and absurdity collide in a fast-paced satire full of witty lyrics, mistaken identities, and Victorian melodrama.
M: It was a great show! It’s billed in a “Note to the Audience” as immersive and interactive, and in its pre-show, selected actors and musicians worked the crowd and found audience volunteers for later participation. The intimate studio-theatre space, with the audience surrounding the performance area, helped to make this work amazingly well.
K: Catie Johnson (who also played Ruth in the show) served as a sort of emcee, hyping the crowd up and setting the tone. She continued to break the fourth wall throughout the performance, interacting directly with the audience at intervals, a technique that worked well, in no small part due to Johnson’s natural comedic talents.
M: Even the ensemble parts (pirates, police officers, and daughters of the Major General) managed to be up close and personal. They all leaned into the fun and absurdity of the group characters, and in the process delivered some fine singing and acting. One especially beautiful choral moment was “Hail Poetry,” in which cast members were deployed around corners of the room to bathe the audience in their beautiful sounds.
K: And of course, the leading vocalists were excellent, as well. Ulmer gave a particularly magnetic performance. His rendition of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” was a riot! I really enjoyed his physicality and the way he embraced the silliness of the role. Taking pleasure in the ridiculous is key to making this show work, and Ulmer was clearly having a great time. The audience couldn’t help but follow suit!
M: Absolutely. I’d agree that Ulmer was the highlight of the show’s comedy, including some fun ad-libbed asides – and he has a strong singing voice, to boot. The ostensibly serious couple at the heart of the action was played with great comic earnestness by Murphy and Jensen, the latter getting in some impressive vocal pyrotechnics along the way (“Poor Wandering Ones”).
K: And, of course, we have to talk about the Pirate King himself. The appropriately mustachioed Schwartz had all the swagger and hilarious bravado that a musical swashbuckler should. His rousing anthem “Oh, Better Far to Live and Die” hit all the right notes, both literally and metaphorically. And Hale’s choreography for that number was a testament to doing slapstick with skill.
M: Hale has a great collaborator in Aaron Hook, who supplied inventive and effective lighting, such as a hilarious use of marquee-style lights on the ceiling that provided spasmodic punctuation for one number (“With Cat-like Tread”) in the second act. His set was also versatile and mobile, and in keeping with the interactive touch, the cast shifted things around themselves for the second act – including the backdrop encircling the audience! – without letting the stage action grind to a halt.
K: Johnson’s banter with the audience during those transitions added to the fluidity. And speaking of the overall look of the show, Peggy Hale’s costumes added an extra layer of characterization to the cast – especially to the Major General’s seven daughters, who each had a distinct “day” gown and nightgown. And, of course, the pirates were dressed in their buccaneer best. There were even costume pieces ready for each of the audience volunteers who participated in the show.
M: My one minor gripe is that they actually could've gone farther with the audience involvement, without putting anyone on the spot. After Johnson had primed people to chime in with sound effects and flag-waving at different spots, the instructions were sometimes forgotten when it came time to put them into practice, and a few more fourth-wall-breaking reminders could have helped.
K: That’s true. Although I feel like the frequent small-scale audience interactions from the cast more than made up for it. Throughout the show, there were several asides delivered to individual audience members, and at one point, the pirates passed out assorted props to several of us. Not to brag, but I was entrusted with the lantern, which I feel is a hefty responsibility.
M: I can’t imagine having to keep track of all those props! Kudos to stage manager Grace Hagerman and her assistants Bella Vitale and Bella Ruscitti, who had a lot of moving parts to keep on track. And truthfully, well done by everyone!
K: Definitely. A great show overall that makes for a really enjoyable evening. Adept musicality coupled with madcap frivolity. Highly recommended!
The Pirates of Penzance runs in the Studio Theatre of St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport IA) through May 4, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)333-6251 and visiting Facebook.com/SAUTheatre.
