The Pirates of Penzance sailed into the Port of Portland last weekend, landing on the top of the Antoinette Hatfield Hall in the intimate Brunish Theatre. They came at the invitation of Light Opera of Portland and it appears they be around to amuse and delight us for two more weekends, with the final matinee appearance on October 27.

These Gilbert and Sullivan Pirates and their non-piratical cohorts have been among the most popular G & S characters since their premiere in 1879. Pirates of Penzance is one of three G & S productions made into movies (for better or worse) and is performed in high school auditoriums and in Broadway theaters. It is one of England’s best musical treasures that almost “belonged” to the US.

What’s that? Oh, yes and a sad mistake it would have been to make. 

Sir William Gilbert, Sir Arthur Sullivan and the D’Oyle Carte Opera Company believed that by presenting the original, authorized first production in New York it would ease the ‘pirating’ that had taken place in the US with H. M. S. Pinafore. A bit late in the plans they realized that if they didn’t open in England first, they would not have an English copyright. 

Heavens to Murgatroyd! It’s a pop-up performance story for the ages. D’Oyly Carte Company was already engaged in a run of H. M. S. Pinafore a few miles up the Eastern English seacoast from the village of Paignton, so actors and orchestra geared up. With scores rushed from New York in hand and prompters in the proscenium they gave one performance of Pirates in the elegant but tiny (50-seat) Royal Bijou Theatre on December 30, 1879 with Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in the audience. Well, some pumpkins, this reads like a story line to a G & S operetta, doesn’t it?

The Pirates US downbeat took place one night – actually 19 hours – later in New York at the Fifth Avenue Theater, a favorite US venue for D’Oyle Carte. A review of that opening night can be read here. 

The show opened in London in April in 1880 and took off. And yes, because you are wondering, it finally played in Penzance, the Cornish titular city, in 1881. And now the pirates are in Portland. Pour the sherry.

The LOOP pirates, at their entrance, could have brought more “ARG!” to play against the later revelation that they are softies at heart with regards to orphans and poetry. Indeed, they should have followed the lead of their Pirate King who “arg”ed convincingly from his first appearance. Everything about this Pirate King is oversized – flame-red plumage atop a hat stretching from shoulder to shoulder, thick black hair swirling about his face. And swagger? Oh, yes, baritone Jacob Mott does swagger from skull-and-crossbones to boot tip. But it is his rich voice that makes the music. Fierce but smooth, commanding but unforced and able to fill the hall. It is a glorious thing.

There are five minor named roles in the show. Two are male and the first of those, Pirate Lieutenant Samuel, sings solo lines relaying important information about another pirate, Frederic (Fred’ric), who’s coming of age. Adam Barrett portrayed Samuel well throughout the show with fine voice and clear diction. 

In Act II, Mike Mendyke’s portrayal of the Chief of Police was a comic delight. What a fine bass voice, resonant, centered-pitched and a pleasure to listen to. And when the visibly trembling Chief and his force (ta-ran-ta-rah) of weak-kneed constables, who could have had a more resounding choral core, process their potential demise under the swords of the pirates they lose it – yup, apparently right there on the floor – and delay said demise with several about turns to safety. Loop the laugh track. 

Three other named minor roles come from the ranks of the Major General’s daughters/wards. In rich, round tones Tia Lempert portrayed Edith who proclaims the pleasures of leisure at the rocky Cornish shoreline and clues us in that these young women have a streak of independence. (Of course! They’re wearing “Bloomers”. Nice costuming there). Sister Kate picks up the bold thread in her solo lines, brightly and beautifully sung by Morena Colombetti, who boldly suggests that the ladies remove their – titter, titter- shoes and stockings and paddle about. 

The role of Isabel got the very best treatment from Ireland McNeill, whose wide-eyed and animated portrayal further defined the personas of the remaining seven daughters in their Victorian sun hats. 

The pirates have the King, the policemen their Chief, but whom do the women have to keep them from losing their senses and their virtue? Hurrah, it’s the Major General. It’s also the point at which half of the audience literally leaned in to catch some of the finest patter ever penned by Sir William. We were not disappointed.

Entering from the stage left stairway Portland Light Opera Director Laurence Cox strides to center front as Samuel leads the tutti chorus in – wait, isn’t that tune the Pirate King song? It is, it is, but Cox IS the Major General and those “insider” musical touches are SO Sir Arthur.

Cox’s mustache brought the giggles straight away. The grand Victorian bicom hat was expected but the extra-large stash, with little handles, completely covering Cox’s upper lip was a hoot. But it sure didn’t get in the way of his diction. Sung with perfect timing, perfect pitch and perfectly elongated pauses in pursuit of the perfect rhyme. A joy.

Also a joy to observe were the character personality shifts. Even when the story line is zany and defies logic it has to be delivered with conviction. Act II opens with the previously pompous Major General now deflated in sorrow over lying about being an orphan, thereby severing ties with his ancestors (who really aren’t his ancestors but of course logic never prevails so it really doesn’t matter). The diminished MG is now in dressing gown and sleeping cap; he even looks smaller, more vulnerable. Nice shift.

Likewise the Pirate King (that treacherous softy) and the Maid-of-all-Things Ruth. We meet the aging nursemaid within moments of the downbeat and are told that she is to blame for the whole blinking story line. Ruth confused the words “pilot” and “pirate” and indentured the young lad in her care, Fred’ric, to the wrong one. You can guess which.

Rachelle Riehl wore the role of nursemaid Ruth so very well – kind of face and gentle of soul. But in Act II she truly became the piratical maid and, by golly, she brought the “arg.” Riehl’s voice did not fill the hall so some words were lost as she moved about the stage but she has the contralto range and musical skill required for the role. And she’s a fine actor and brought Ruth to life throughout the production.

And then there is Fred’ric. The dear romantic pirate lead character is a devoted pirate in one moment, a determined twenty-one-year-old slave of Victorian duty in the next and then due to an ingenious leap-year paradox finds out he’s really only five years old, and a little bit over. Fred’ric can thank Sir Arthur for writing superb arias of both elation and of sorrow which tenor Aaron Lange performed beautifully. Lange’s strong and resonant voice masters the entire range. His vocal comfort with the role allows him to just be Fred’ric. 

And Lange’s excellent tuning was a perfect fit with the beautiful voice of his new beloved, Mabel, played by Kari Burgess. No timid voice there but also no timid tones there. Vibrant but never strident. A great pairing, these two, especially in their heart-wrenching “fa, la, la, la” departure duet which ends with Fred’ric asking Mabel to wait faithfully for him for roughly 61 years until his release from piratical indenture. Always a return to comedy.

Pirates of Penzance can be produced with a cast of 50 plus. 20-ish in the bevy of beauties, another 20-ish pirates and a dozen or more policemen–on a stage with a front pit that puts the front row seats 100 feet away. LOOP has a cast of 28. The stage design was compact as befitting the venue. This allowed for a concentration of choral sound and character camaraderie. It was entertaining to watch the groups move in swarms around the stage. The ensemble and solo entrances from the stairs at stage left was very effective; more terracing – boulders or driftwood piles on which characters could perch – would have been a nice addition.

The closing full-ensemble chorus revealed for the first time the sparsity of space on the Brunish stage. But it works, yes, yes, it works well. The joy coming from the cast spills over into the audience – and vice versa. With every well heard word the audience joins the cast in the story. It isn’t just delivered, it’s shared. Is this a characteristic of “operetta” in general?

Angela Allen, a Portland-area contributing arts writer for Oregon Arts Watch who specializes in opera, offered her insights into operetta, with comparisons to other musical stage styles. “Operettas can be more fun and easier to love than opera,” said Allen in recent email to OAW. “They tell a story with dialogue and music, prompt a lot of laughs, and revel in clever wordplay. In many ways they are closer to Broadway musicals than to opera. Generally, operettas are well suited to all ages, unlike opera, that is sometimes rated X and often full of violence and death scenes.” 

So, generally – an important word that – according to that diminutive “-etta” suffix, it’s also smaller opera. Right? True if thinking Wagner. But Allen referenced several contemporary operas you might have seen recently in Portland – Shizue: An American Story (Portland Opera To Go) and The Rose Elf (Orpheus PDX) – which are all shorter than Pirates. And, wrote Allen, “Portland State University’s delightful spring operetta The Merry Widow went on for three hours so opera doesn’t always outlast operetta in stage time.” Allen’s detailed OAW review of The Merry Widow can be read here.

So, generally, they are companion genres and in response to pejorative comparisons that imply that operetta is “less” than another musical stage form the Major General might say:

to deem it “less” in fact denies the artistry that in it lies;
for these fine works epitomize the joy that theater goers prize.

Overtures open the show. They are representative of what’s to come and a virtuosic “solo” moment for the instrumentalists. I was puzzled. Was this orchestra seeing the overture music for the first time? It’s such a delight and it deserved more attention. Also, throughout the show, from the nine piece orchestra, I would have enjoyed more string, wind and brass sound and less piano. 

Halsinger prepared the choruses well. Three collectives – pirates, daughters and policemen (ta-ran-ta-rah) – were in sync musically. And she admirably performed at the keyboard, standing before her players the entire time with her back to the stage action. But at one particularly shaky moment when the vocalist and orchestra drifted apart Halsinger seemed to have no way to right the ship. Reconfigure the “pit”? Have nine pieces plus conductor? Puzzles to solve.

If you know Pirates well, LOOP has all your favorites in fine form. “Poor Wandering One”; “When Frederic Was a Little Lad”; “When a Felon’s Not Engaged In His Employment”;“Hail Poetry” or the chattering “How Beautiful the Sky”. If you are new to this bright gem in the G & S oeuvre sit back and enjoy the voyage. 

Bumbles and fumbles in live theater are to be expected. In comic operetta sometimes they are unexpected treasures. This entire LOOP production is worthy art for all who love the musical stage and jolly good entertainment.

Writer Allen says in her personal path she “graduated from operetta to opera” but doesn’t see that as a necessary end goal. “Operetta-loving,” she said, “comes more easily.”

Pirates of Penzance seemed to come easily for six-year-old Eleonora and her sister Annachiara, age four. Their mother, Lourdes Quintanilla, treated them to their first performance of Pirates of Penzance. It was her father’s favorite operetta. 

At intermission I asked the girls what they were liking best about the show. Eleanora replied, after giving the question careful thought, “I like the hats.”

“The hats,” echoed Annachiara. 

Hats off to Light Opera of Portland and to audiences of all ages who will thoroughly enjoy this production. 

Here’s where you can read the plot synopsis before you go.

Light Opera of Portland invites you to their remaining two weekends of Pirates of Penzance performances – evenings on Friday and Saturday, matinees on Sunday – October 18-20 and 25-27. Tickets may be purchased here.