The Pirates of Penzance
Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield
through August 13, 2016
by Shera Cohen
“Pirates of Penzance” is #10 – that’s ten musicals which I
have had the wonderful pleasure of seeing at Barrington Stage Company (BSC).
My journey began in 2004 at a high school
basement/auditorium somewhere in the middle of a pastoral oasis in Great
Barrington. Getting lost en route, I called (pre-cell phones) the helpful box
office volunteer for directions. We ultimately arrived five minutes late. I
hate coming late; it is so rude to the actors and audience. Little did I know
that the house manager (bless her or him) actually held the curtain just for
me. Me?! At the time, I was publisher of Bravo Newspaper. That title gave me a
little sense of importance, and I was always proud of Bravo; however, this was
not the New York Times, not even close. BSC staff were so courteous to myself
and Bravo writers that seats were held. Unknowingly, both the writer and
composer of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” sat in my row. Rather,
I sat in their row. The world premiere of this lovely, poignant, and
hilariously funny musical was destined to become a Broadway Tony Award-winner.
Frankly, I am running out of superlatives as I reread my
reviews of BSC’s musical productions. “West Side Story,” “Sweeney Todd,” and
“Guys & Dolls” earned complimentary adjectives: fabulous, superb, first
rate, respectively. As the summers passed and with each year another musical,
came fresh compliments, besting those previously written; i.e. “On the Town”
(perfect), “Man of La Mancha” (splendid), and “Kiss Me Kate” (setting the
benchmark). And, I don’t even like “Kate,” or so I thought.
When BSC announced the selection of its 2016 musical, I
sighed, “Oh well, they can’t win them all.” This would be an operetta. I do
love opera, but to me, operetta was a cheapened lesser-class genre. Adding to
my lack of enthusiasm were the creators, Gilbert and Sullivan. Yes, the duo is
the personification of the art form. However, it takes a certain appreciation
of the gentlemen’s talents that I lack. Again, I will say, “or so I thought.”
Here’s a little task for you, the reader. Make note of all
of the accolades written above in paragraph 2; mix them up; next add equal
amounts of joy, whimsy, and panache; the result is the spectacular creation of
“The Pirates of Penzance.” Spectacular, as in stunning to see and remarkable to
experience.
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| Photo by Kevin Sprague |
The handsome swashbucklers, pitch-perfect damsels,
rock-speed lyrics, colorful palette, playful plot, and crinoline and puffy
shirts form the structure of “Pirates.” The precariously situated (trust me,
you have to see it) pit orchestra, ship’s staging that fills the entire theatre
(not just the stage), choreography to “knock your socks off” (okay, I’m running
low on kudos), high-speed clip of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern
Major-General” (the show-stopper that warranted an encore), and audience
participation (bravo to Queen Victoria) are just some components that make
“Pirates” dazzling, both visually and aurally.
If you only have the time to see one play or musical this
summer (I would safely say, this year), sail with “The Pirates of Penzance.”
