The stage was set for The Pirates of Penzance before the curtains opened. Have a look at the photo below of the stage before the beginning of the opera. The colorful frame around the Mason Center for the Arts stage put me in a good mood before I sat down. Then as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra began the overture led by VO’s Conductor and Artistic Director Adam Turner, the lights in the frame began to change, reminding me of old-time nickelodeons, signaling we were returning to the fun of days gone by. The Pirates of Penzance premiered in New York in 1879, but while being dated, in Virginia Opera’s hands it remained charming, funny, and fun from beginning to end. This production is a gem.
Photo of stage at the Mason Center for the Arts at George Mason University. Photo by author, posted with permission from Virginia and Mason Center for the Arts.
A short plot summary (with as few spoilers as I can make): Young Frederic was indentured to a band of pirates from childhood by his nanny who remains by his side. It is his 21st birthday which frees him of his obligation to the pirates. Now, his overarching commitment to duty requires that he become their enemy. Leaving his nanny behind, he is set ashore on an island and is looking for a young woman to marry. He finds Mabel among a host of her young sisters in a deserted spot. Then, they are accosted by the band of pirates who are now his enemy. The sisters call on their father, a major general, to save them, which he does by fabricating a lie. The major general, an honorable man, feels guilty about his deception, and his lie is discovered. Frederic and a band of policeman plan to attack the pirates, but the pirates learn of the plan and will attack first. Subsequently, Frederic finds his contract has not run out and must rejoin the pirates and leave Mabel to wait for him. As mayhem is about to break out, all are reminded of their common cause and all ends happily. Yes, that is a boring summary, but as you learn the details, you will laugh out loud, I promise. Like how Frederic became a pirate – his parents told the nanny they wanted him to become a pilot, but she claims she misheard them, believing they said a pirate, and the zaniness increases from there.
Martin Bakari as Frederic and Amy Owens as Mabel. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
The Pirates of Penzance was the 5th operetta (or light opera) of fourteen by composer Arthur Sullivan and librettist W. S. Gilbert. Their works were enormously popular from the mid 19th to the mid 20th centuries, and many are still performed today, especially Pirates and The Mikado. A 1981 Broadway production of Pirates ran for almost 800 performances and a film version in 1983 was quite popular, still available via streaming services. These two men with very different personalities, who were often at odds with each other, managed to blend Sullivan’s extraordinary musicality with Gilbert’s extraordinary wit and gift for satire into something new, a British genre of opera called operetta. Their work was a forerunner of American musicals. Both were knighted in England; interestingly Sullivan twenty-four years before Gilbert. One might guess satire makes enemies.
There was a serious side to Gilbert’s comedic barbs; this was a permissible way for Victorian society to mock itself during a period of great societal change. Not that the satire of Pirates no longer applies to today. The famous modern, major general in Pirates knows everything except what a general ought to know; the policeman would rather not engage the criminals; there are honest pirates and then there are those pirates that present themselves as something else; and perhaps most important in Pirates, a slavish devotion to duty can lead you astray. The full title of the opera is The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty. But don’t worry, the tuneful music and the zany comedy make it all enjoyable today as it did back then.
Aubrey Allicock (center) as The Pirate King amid his band of pirates. hoto by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Humor is a serious business: you must play to your audience and the timing in delivering the jokes must be quick and spot on, even more difficult in opera where legato rules. The jokes can become problematic when passed down to future generations with a different frame of reference. To get a fuller recognition of the humor in Pirates and gain a better appreciation of the spirit of the times, I strongly recommend the excellent lecture by Joshua Borths, VO’s scholar in residence, given both as the pre-opera talk and in a “Let’s Talk About Opera” video on Youtube. For example, you will learn that the title The Pirates of Penzance is itself humorous: Penzance was a seaside resort in England at the time, so the title is like calling it The Pirates of Disneyland. You will have to go with the flow in abiding Victorian society’s treatment of women. Mr. Borths also takes on explaining where operetta fits among similar genres, i.e., opera comique, singspiel, opera buffa, and opera comique among others. You will learn interesting anecdotes such as Gilbert’s kidnapping as a child. From the lecture, you will also learn more about Sullivan’s talent for opera and how he uses that humorously to make fun of opera in this operetta. Virginia Opera adds to the currency of the humor with a few additions of its own, such as an amusing reference to COVID.
Virginia Opera has assembled a talented and ingratiating cast for this production. At the performance I attended, the audience was clearly stoked for a good Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, and VO’s cast delivered the goods; the audience singer/actor connection was very strong. Tenor Martin Bakari made a natural Frederic, committed to duty but not officious, a tender young man longing for love. Mabel, the object of his affections was played to perfection by soprano Amy Owens. Her beautiful light, lilting voice and vocal agility added the right touch of humor in spoofing Mr. Verdi and Mr. Puccini. Bass-baritone Aubrey Allicock was a good-natured Pirate King, and Bass Jeremy Harr was hilarious with his staccato movements and singing. Baritone Troy Cook as Major-General Stanley delivered in satisfying fashion the work’s best known song – “I am the very model of a modern major-general”. Mezzo-soprano Lucy Schaufer, who played Ruth, the nanny, sang well and had a deft comic touch. The supporting cast of pirate Kyle White, and sisters, Katherine Sanford, Taylor-Alexis DuPont, and Kaileigh Riess added admirably to the performance.
Troy Cook (left) as Major-General Stanley and ensemble. hoto by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Kyle Lang deserves special kudos for his taut direction and splendid choreography of the performance. As I have said before, comedy especially in opera is difficult. This production was genuinely funny. The sustained undercurrent of humor erupted frequently into the laugh out loud type. Director Lang made it all work with the assistance of Driscoll Otto for lighting design and James P. McGough for wigs and make up. The period costumes previously designed by James Schuette were a boon to the performance.
Mr. Sullivan’s playful music is complex, displaying elements from several sources, bel canto operas, hymns, and popular songs. It contains double choruses singing at the same time. The music was beautifully played with spirit by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Turner’s direction. Choral direction was by Associate Conductor Brandon Eldredge. The performance is filled with many delightful and often amusing songs and music you might put on just to listen to, sometimes containing familiar themes found in later songs.
Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Gilbert were gifted, as evidenced by how their operas still bring in audiences today. Virginia Opera’s performance of The Pirates of Penzance in Fairfax was both an homage to them and a gem of its own, all very proper I assure you.
The Fan Experience: Performances of The Pirates of Penzance was scheduled for performances in Norfolk on November 4, 5, 6; in Fairfax on November 12, 13; and in Richmond on November 18, 20. The opera has two acts and is sung in English with supertitles in English shown on an overhead screen, spoken dialog not shown on the screen. There was a refreshments bar on the entrance level during the intermission between acts. Masking and proof of vaccinations were not required for the audience.
Again, I highly recommend the outstanding pre-opera talk on The Pirates of Penzance, given by Joshua Borths, Virginia Opera’s scholar in residence, which starts 45 minutes before the beginning of the opera. Get there early to get a good seat. If you can’t make a performance but want to know more about the opera, Mr. Borths covers the same material and more in his “Let’s Talk Opera” lecture available at this link.