Pirates of Penzance (Australian Version)

BasOp normally perform a concert at this time of year but it was lovely to see that they were producing their second musical this year instead.  Gilbert & Sullivan shows are trickier than many people realise and the short rehearsal time that the company had for this production must have given them a few headaches.

Director Angela Phillips has gathered a strong team of Principals for this production.   Sean Hynes produced an excellent performance as the Pirate King.   In the more intimate surroundings of the Mirren Theatre, we were able to see his facial expressions and appreciate the nuances of his performance.  Joe Drury played Samuel, a perfect foil to Sean’s Pirate King and with excellent characterisation.   Chris Foale played the young Frederick well, although he seemed to struggle with a couple of songs.  A testament to the difficulty of G & S!   Ian Benson was excellent as the Major General, delivering A Modern Major General with style and wit.  His appearance was perfect, I loved the facial hair, absolutely right for the character!  Josh Handley was the perfect police sergeant.  This was a great opportunity for Josh to demonstrate his superb comedic ability.  As always, it is impossible to look at anyone else when Josh gets into his stride.

Sarah Drury played Ruth, a part often overlooked but, in Sarah’s case, definitely, not!   She is an excellent character actress and the not so subtle change in her manner once she committed to being a pirate was terrific.  Charlotte Cavedasca played Mabel, a part that requires a strong operatic vocalist.  Whilst I have heard, and admired, Charlotte’s singing voice in the past, I was particularly impressed with her vocal range and the pureness of her singing.  Her characterisation was also very good.  Courtney Abrahams (Edith) Cerys Wilkin (Isabel) and Ailish Murphy (Kate) played the other three principal sisters and they were all excellent.  Lovely characters from each of them, with some excellent singing too.

The Ensemble worked very hard and they sang and performed well.  There were one or two that worked harder than the rest and, consequently, stood out as performers.  Unfortunately, I cannot name them as there was no programme for this production.  I am sure they know who they are and well done for being an essential part of the show.

Costumes were a little mixed, I felt it was a pity to have another chorus member in a white dress as this should be Mabel’s prerogative.  The pirates were good and colourful, with plenty of variety to the styles.  The Major Generals costumes were great, but I did have reservations about the Pirate Kings tights!  Overall, though, they provided a good ‘look’ to the production.  The scenery was almost non existent and, although the ‘black box’ effect is well used these days, I do feel there could have been a little more done to create the different scenes.

The small band, led by MD Claire Penfold, was excellent and it was good to see the interplay between them and the Principals.  Lighting and sound were good, as they should be with professionals in charge.

Overall a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment, I was pleased to see a full house and congratulate BasOp in virtually selling out for all three performances.  Maybe there could be four in next years autumn production?  Yes, I do think that the decision to do this show was a good one and I hope that BasOp will continue to consider 2 shows a year from now on.

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