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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 2019)
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019 // 9 the equality of man. They employed their comic libretto to lampoon Britain’s rigid social structures epitomized by the stifling hierarchy of the military. The Peninsula Players’ version is a musical melodrama, a shorter adapta- tion, which has the subtitle “The Lass That Loved a Sailor.” Its best-known ditty, “He Is An English- man,” mocks that nation’s superiority and blind patriotism. It may be familiar to audi- ence members who recall the ferryboat scene in the 1981 movie “Chariots of Fire” or the fifth-season “Simpsons” episode in which Sideshow Bob (voiced by Kelsey Grammer) kidnaps Bart. It is the 12th musical directed by Rita Smith, who also appears as the female lead, Josephine, and assists choreographer Annika Kay. Smith hadn’t planned to cast herself, but two other singers dropped out. “I think the songs themselves are very catchy,” Smith said. “I think the people are going to come out humming them.” Robert Scherrer, the first-time assis- tant director, plays the ship’s captain who wants his daughter to make a prestigious marriage to the First Lord of the Admiralty (David Immel). He heads the Royal Navy, despite having no nautical ability. But Jose- phine is in love with a lower-class sailor, played by Bob Goldberg. Should she obey her father or flout social conventions? Compounding the action is Kevin Perry as a conniving crew member, Dick Dead- eye, one of G&S’s most memorable sup- porting characters. Scherrer calls him “one step short of a pirate.” There is also Little Buttercup, a socially low woman played by Andrea Patten, who has her heart set on the captain. Featured roles include Bette Lu Krause as the Admiralty officer’s cousin, and Jim Tweedie and Aarin Hoygaard, who appear as the Bosun and his mate. Hoy- gaard played Chip in the Chinook, Wash., production of “Beauty and the Beast” last summer. Sailors and other roles are played by Bill Clark (the show’s producer), and Nata- sha Beals, Patrick Buckley, Gretchen Goodson, Rose Power and Melissa Goldberg. Scherrer and Immel will not con- sciously employ British accents, though they acknowledge their commitment to clear diction suits Gilbert’s precise word choices. “I don’t have an accent; it’s unfortunate that we all can’t embrace that,” Scherrer said. “It’s either all or none, and we felt it would be a struggle for some.” True community theater Both Scherrer and Immel appreciate the Players’ stalwart musical director, Barbara Disapproval registers on the face of the ship’s captain, played by Robert Scherrer, at the prospect of his daughter Josephine (Rita Smith) falling in love with a common sailor (Bob Goldberg). Will cupid triumph or will the strict social conventions of the Royal Navy prevail? Patrick Webb photos Barbara Bate plays to accompany members of Peninsula Players as they gear up to open the Gilbert & Sullivan musical melodrama. Cast members, left to right, are Melissa Goldberg, Robert Scherrer, Natasha Beals, Jim Tweedie, Kevin Perry, Rose Power, Gretchen Goodson and Bob Goldberg. Kevin Perry as Deadeye Dick, a scheming sailor, features in Peninsula Players’ production of ‘H.M.S. Pinafore,’ which opens in Ilwaco, Wash., Friday, March 29, and runs three weekends. Disapproving sailors are Natasha Beals, left, Patrick Buckley and Aarin Hoygaard, front. David Immel plays the First Lord of the Admiralty, who is head of the British Royal Navy, and the most eligible bachelor in the nation. Clustered around him are Rita Smith, left, whose character Josephine doesn’t want to marry him, and his adoring admirers and family, played by Gretchen Goodson, Rose Power and Melissa Goldberg. Bate, who will play the keyboard during performances. “There’s something really nice about having nice live accompaniment,” Scher- rer said. “She follows us.” Immel, a retired professional per- former, likes the flexibility that cannot exist with a taped soundtrack playing. If a singer falters, Bate can play another bar and help them back on track. “She’s like musical magic in many ways,” Immel said. The matching striped shirts and necker- chiefs of the sailors, plus the officers’ dis- tinctive bicorn hats, uniforms and medals have been created by Darlene Montgom- ery, assisted by Peggy Immel, who adds her professional costuming experience backstage. The director encourages people to savor the cast and crew’s handiwork, and see some familiar faces. “This is true community the- ater. Our cast ranges in age from 11 to 80,” Smith said. “There’s not a lot of places where you can see your friends — whether they are 11 or 80 — up on stage.” CW
