The Pirates of Penzance @ Cleveland Play House 6/14 Lyric Opera Cleveland is about to merge with its bigger cousin from downtown, Cleveland Opera, and next spring, a new entity will then appear—Opera Cleveland. In the meantime, however, the delightful summer picnic productions continue at the Drury Theatre of the Cleveland Play House. The first of these was a bright and delightful production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s American operetta The Pirates of Penzance. American, because it was written mostly in America, after composer Sullivan neglected to bring a copy of the music with him when they came to New York in the late 1870s to premiere their new show for the Yanks. (It was to have one performance only in England first, to secure the British copyright. ‘Real’ pirates abounded in those days, capturing the popular works by the two Englishmen and presenting unauthorized versions.)

Pity poor Frederic who was loved too well if not wisely by his nursemaid, Ruth. Being a bit hard of hearing, she apprenticed the boy to ‘Pi-RATES’ instead of ‘Pi-LOTS’ as she’d been instructed. The Pirates, however, are a soft-hearted bunch, with major weaknesses toward orphans, leaving them all skirting poverty. Usually apprenticeship expires when one turns 21, so thinking he’s free, Frederic anticipates his new life. Unfortunately, he was born on February 29, meaning that while he has lived for 21 years, he’s had only 5 actual birthdays. He isn’t free after all! Enter the Major General and his 8 beautiful, unwed daughters, a police force that doesn’t wish to tangle with the pirates, and you have mad, musical mayhem.

Fortunately for the audience, an experienced major general was available to direct in the person of Frederick Reeder. Conductor Stuart Raleigh is another gentleman with vast G & S experience, and between them, they created magic. The costumes by Coordinator Suzy Campbell were charming and appropriate, as was the large and spacious set, designed by Michael Grube and wonderfully lit by Jeremy Benjamin. Choreographer Dawn Hess challenged her charges with nimble-footed, clever steps, especially the Major General and the Sergeant of Police.

Veterans Shannon Unger as Ruth, Dominic Aquilino, who obviously was also a Pirate King in a former life, and Lance Ashmore as the Major General, added stability and comic abilities to their warm vocal qualities, ably anchoring the mostly young cast. Ashmore was more than adequate as a dancer, but his patter songs needed a bit more assurance. He was a caring Papa to his brood of daughters.

Dana Zenobi as Mabel and Jeremy Blossey as Frederic are both apprentices in the company, proving the strength of the program. Vocally and visually, they match wonderfully well. Her rather large soprano voice is very agile, and her intonation superb. Jonathan Stuckey as the Police Sergeant is yet another apprentice with a fine voice and spirited feet!

As an ensemble, the daughters and the pirates both looked and sounded terrific. The mini-orchestra performed with gusto and accuracy. All in all—a superb example of musical theater at its best.

Next up for Lyric Opera Cleveland is Escape from Mars a slightly-sci-fi version of Die Entführung aus dem Serail of Mozart. on June 28, July 1 and 2, followed by Das Barbecü, a look at Wagner’s Ring cycle as seen through Texan eyes on July 12, 15 and 16. The Annual Apprentice Showcase has a new incarnation this year: a one night (July 26) presention of a new work—Florida—by Randall Eng. For tickets or other information, call the ticket office at (216) 795-7000, ext. 4 or visit their web-site: http://www.LyricOperaCleveland.org.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net (:divend:)