The Pirates of Penzance

The overture started, the curtains opened and we were treated to a stage full of swarthy pirates. NWTAC theatre is challenging for actors but NMAODS seemed quite at home from the off. A hanging mic was used and it did provide some good audio coverage however I do personally feel that radio mics would be far better suited to this production as they allow better consistency with movements and are audio logically clearer for the audience, that said, projection was good from all the hard working cast. 
Pirates is an energetic show, it's scenes are quick with a lot of information to be imparted to the audience- not just through dialogue but also through facial expressions and little asides. John G Barry as Musical Director ably controlled and led the pace, it was very obvious to me that the cast trusted him and were very comfortable in his conducting hands. There was no frantic eye signalling from any of the Principals, all the harmonies were spot on and it was nice to not hear any of the notes over sung or dragged.

The sets were fairly simple and were mainly changed by the actors on stage, I love to see this as it allows the action to keep its pace . Ben Drane as Frederic was very likeable and performed his role with confidence, the audience were with him in his dilemma over his leap year birthday, his loyalty to the pirates and also his love for Mabel. He gave Frederic an innocence and genuine naivety throughout his performance. Sofie Haig-Smith was Mabel and she gave us all a masterclass in vocal control, her projection was excellent and I particularly enjoyed her interactions with Ben. Their voices complimented each other well and their on stage chemistry was evident between the two characters. Dave Seager commanded the stage as Pirate King as soon as he strode on. He showed us a lovely strong characterisation and gave some great facial expressions and vocal dexterity. I was particularly impressed with his onstage cutlass fighting skills and was pleased to note that the cutlasses used were metal and so gave a good resounding clang!
Major General Stanley was played by Seb Lassandro, Seb always has great fun with his character portrayal and is guaranteed to give us a fully padded, three dimensional, warts and all person, complete with idiosyncrasies and foibles. I'm certain he builds them a back story and could even tell us what his character had for breakfast three months previously. Seb as MGS moved about the stage with confidence, he is not afraid to pause or stare the audience out all the while remaining a generous actor to the rest of the cast, his deliverance of " I am the very model of a modern Major-General" was perfectly in time, the lyrics were clear and clipped where required and all delivered with flair. Jill Ratcliffe as Ruth was very confident in both sides of her character, she moved about the stage with purpose and delivered both dialogue and vocals eloquently, diction was clear, harmonies spot on and her choreography executed cleanly.

The ensemble have a lot to do  in this show to keep the pace and the story moving along, in the full numbers the singing was strong and ends of words could be clearly heard, well done, it's not easy. Costumes added some lovely colour and depth to the vision, they, along with hair and make up were fitting to the production and era, all props were handled competently and confidently by the cast. Well done with the parasols, ladies and the batons, Police men.

I enjoyed the performance. Thank you for your hospitality and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. 

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