Pirates of Penzance - Review

SWASHBUCKLINGLY GOOD

Doug Foley - The Hamilton Spectator
What: Pirates of Penzance
Where: The Loft, 2269 New St. Burlington.
When: May 13, 14 and 15, 20, 21, 22 and 27, 28 and 29 with matinees on 16, 28 and 29.
Tickets: $23. Call 905-637-3979

The Drury Lane stage may be small but it could never contain these Pirates of Penzance.The high-energy production of the 125-year-old Gilbert and Sullivan operetta currently running at the intimate playhouse, The Loft at 2269 New St., should prove to be one of the highlights of the local theatre season.

Pirates is a riotously fun evening from start to finish with a talented cast of 21, a four-piece musical ensemble and a first-rate production.When that cast of 21 is all on stage at the same time, one fears it could be cut to 19 or 20 at any moment, with one wrong move sending one or two daughters or pirates into the wings.

But full credit goes to choreographer Gary Smith for keeping everyone in place even when dancing en masse across the stage. Director Willard Boudreau keeps everything moving along at a good clip and is rewarded with good performances from everyone involved.

At the heart of the show is Jamie McRoberts as Mabel, the beautiful daughter of Major General Stanley and the object of the affections of Frederic. As a child, Frederic was apprenticed to a gang of good-hearted pirates. How good were they? So good that they would not pillage and plunder any orphans because they were all orphans themselves.

Frederic never really fit in with the pirates, probably as a result of his hard-of-hearing nanny, Ruth, having mistaken her master's instructions to apprentice the boy to a pilot. Frederic is to be free of his indenture once he passes his 21st birthday and as the operetta opens, he is about to turn 22. Unfortunately, he finds out that he was born on Feb. 29, making him a leap year baby and having celebrated only five and one quarter birthdays, not the required 21.

Enter the daughters of the Major General, most notably Mabel, and exit Frederic's heart.

You can't blame him. Blessed with a beautiful voice and stage presence to match, McRoberts almost walks away with the whole show, never mind one soon-to-be ex-pirate's heart. One almost has to feel sorry for David Boda as Frederic, having to go one-on-one with such a formidable talent as McRoberts, but he holds his own, giving his character a sympathetic turn with an aw-shucks cuteness. McRoberts, 15, and Boda, 16, show that the future of local live theatres is indeed bright.

Doug Massey makes for a sexy and stylish Pirate King with a strong presence as he stomps his way across the stage. Bruce Edwards stops the show as the major-general with his titular, tongue-twisting song delivered to the accompaniment of a twirling umbrella. Janet McGhee as Ruth, the nursemaid turned pirate, is likewise a scene-stealer with a good voice and presence, and Charles Aubin is a strong leader of a band of Monty Python-inspired policemen. The various pirates and pastel-clad major-general daughters are also fun and their voices come together beautifully.

The two-act show plays against a seashore background and the arches of the Major General's castle. All in all, The Pirates of Penzance make for a terrific night of local theatre. dfoley@thespec.com 905-526-3264