NCPR News - Full Story

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2006

Theatre Review: The Pirates of Penzance in Colchester, VT.

St. Michael’s Playhouse has opened their season with a rousing production of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.  The cast of this familiar story of the innocent apprentice pirate, the Major General with his seven beautiful daughters and the bumbling policemen is filled with excellent singers who do justice to the Gilbert and Sullivan score.

Director/choreographer Kieth Andrews has used every bit of playing space to great advantage, including a couple of rambunctious entrances down the aisles.  With the exception of a couple of moments of questionable taste, particularly Ruth’s honky-tonk bit and Frederic’s pseudo-rock writhing, his staging and choreography are terrific.  The policemen are delightful in “Tarantara” and “A Policeman’s Lot”.  Mr. Andrews has come up with the funniest version of “With Cat-Like Tread” I’ve ever seen.  He obviously has a flair for comic staging.

The cast is generally strong.  The ensemble, (daughters, pirates and policemen), sing and dance very well.  Jason Nettle is very good as Samuel, the Pirate King’s tattooed lieutenant.  As the Sergeant of Police, Billy Ernst is nimble of foot and tongue and very funny.

Mr. Andrews’s direction and Mr. Spitznagel’s music rtain all the charm and humor of this perennial favorite.  This enjoyable production is an auspicious beginning for the St. Michael’s Playhouse season.

On a scale of one to five the St. Michael’s Playhouse production of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE gets four and one fourth stars.