SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2016
7 A
‘Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here’ for LRP’s ‘Pirates’
‘Pirates of
Penzance’
Review
B Y B URNEY G ARELICK
That’s the first tune you hear
when the orchestra plays the
overture to Last Resort Players’
(LRP) “The Pirates of
Penzance,” now playing at the
Florence
Events
Center.
Actually, the words are: “With
Cat-Like Tread, Upon Our Prey
We Steal.” But these pirates are
anything but stealthy. Cat bur-
glars they are not. These pirates
are soft-hearted poets and bun-
glers, rather like the Keystone
Kops, the Penzance police
keeping the peace on the shores
of Cornwall in nineteenth cen-
tury England.
Penzance also includes
impetuous, perplexed young
lovers and a doting daddy gen-
eral and his brood of weather
girls in this zany musical come-
dy by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur
Sullivan.
The show debutted in 1879 in
New York and in 1880 in
London and became a beloved
classic throughout the world,
along with other Gilbert and
Sullivan shows like “H.M.S.
Pinafore” and “The Mikado.”
in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” which
premiered in 1853. The Cat-
Tread song parodied “The Anvil
Chorus,” which was also paro-
died in Popeye and Bugs Bunny
cartoons, among other works.
“Hail, Hail the Gang’s All
Here” was a pop song written in
1917, and it has never stopped
hailing lyrics. Music is not
bound by time or space.
With lots of singing and lots
of action and exquisite timing,
“The Pirates of Penzance” is a
difficult show to mount, and
Last Resort Players director
Leah Goodwin has done a mas-
PHOTO BY KATHLEEN WENZEL
terful job blocking the actors in
Jim Wellington fills the stage as the “very image of the
tandem with music director
modern major general” in Last Resort Players’ “Pirates of
Jennifer Weier and music
Penzance.” It opens this weekend and continues Nov. 11
Aaargh-tistic director Laura
to 13.
Merz.
Weier’s
orchestra
includes a dozen players, many
That’s pretty good for a couple Pirates of Penzance” has a sub- of whom are members of the
of musicians who preferred to title: “The Slave of Duty.”
Oregon
Coast
Chamber
write serious music and dramat-
Unlike Broadway musical Orchestra.
ic plays.
comedies, operetta has more
Applause and armloads of
“The Pirates of Penzance” is singing than dialogue, and in “aaaarghs” to all the performers
an operetta, sometimes called Gilbert and Sullivan shows, the for striking dexterity and har-
light opera. Don’t worry; you’re lyrics are tricky — voluminous mony.
not being coerced into four rhyming words at breakneck
Special kudos to Sean
hours of droning Wagner, how- speed, a little bit like rap and Abplanalp, Hilary Roach,
ever grand that can be. Operetta hip hop in Lin-Manuel Crystal
Farnsworth,
Jim
is light on drama and tragedy, Miranda’s
spectacular Wellington, Sandy Vaccaro and
light on endless arias by dying “Hamilton,” currently taking Dana Rodet.
divas and light on plot and char- Broadway by storm. In fact,
Abplanalp, a tall drink of
acter, more akin to melodrama Miranda pays homage to water, plays innocent young
with its dastardly villains, pure Gilbert and Sullivan in his Frederic, the tenor hero and
heroes and damsels in distress. songs, just as Gilbert and pirate apprentice sworn to
And like melodrama, “The Sullivan paid homage to a song uphold his duty, no matter what
pitfalls he encounters. Roach is
Mabel, the soprano diva, his
first love, and wise to the world.
Roach delivers several send-ups
of grand opera belle canto
singing that would delight
Gilbert
and
Sullivan.
Farnsworth
plays
Ruth,
Frederic’s long-suffering nurse
maid and the pirate workhorse.
While her character is not very
good at distinguishing “pilot”
from “pirate,” Farnsworth’s
singing is, like her name, crys-
tal clear.
Veteran Florence actor
Wellington as Major-General
Stanley, with big yellow brick-
like epaulets, gets the show-
stopping song, “I am the Very
Model of a Modern Major-
General,” a tongue-twisting
rhyme-bashing recitation of his
dubious resume, and he handles
it with aplomb. This song has
been parodied many times; the
best rendition is satirist Tom
Lehrer’s “Elements” in which
every single element is so beau-
tifully enunciated you think
you’ve been to “Hahvard”
where the elements have been
“discahvered.”
Vaccaro is the swashbuckling
Pirate King, and his hearty
voice is at its wittiest at word
play, such as the “orphan” and
“often” banter with the Major-
General and the Paradox song
(“Now For the Pirates’ Lair”)
when he and Ruth tell Frederic
the truth about his birthday.
Veteran actor Rodet is hilarious
as the Sergeant of Police, a
manic, tap dancing athletic wiz-
ard who traverses the entire
stage in seconds, organizing his
police. Rodet’s singing patter
speeds like a bullet train but
renders every syllable sparkling
clear. A policeman’s lot may not
be happy, but Rodet’s stage
presence is a treat.
The pirates, fetching daugh-
ters, and cops are splendidly
attired, thanks to Douglas
Hansen’s costuming expertise.
Each of the two acts has its own
stunning set, from the pirate
ship to the moonlight chapel.
The walkway that departs one
side of the stage, surrounds the
orchestra, and returns to the
other side of the stage is a styl-
ish podium for solos and sotto
voce commentary. This produc-
tion abounds with all kinds of
harmony!
In conclusion, LRP catches
the rollicking riff of Gilbert and
Sullivan and runs with it for a
home run in this delightful pro-
duction of “The Pirates of
Penzance.” The show plays
Nov. 4, 5 and 6 and Nov. 11, 12
and 13 at the FEC, 715 Quince
St. Join the gang ‘cause here’s
where it’s at!
Voyage ‘Down a Classic Country Road’ set to begin next week
Fresh from two week-long
engagements at Seven Feathers
Casino, Florence’s Buck and A
Quarter Band returns with
another memorable classic
country music show this
November.
“Down a Classic Country
Road” features musical direc-
tor, arranger, keyboardist and
vocalist Marty Adams in a
familiar role. Lending his vocal
talents to classic hits from Jerry
Lee Lewis to Sonny James and
John Denver, Adams gives his
usual stellar effort to these hit
songs. Adams spent many years
in Hollywood recording studios
as a keyboard player, and
recently released a new gospel
album entitled “Power of
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Siuslaw News
Photo of the Week:
Grace,” which can be found on
iTunes.
Mike Jacobson wrote and
directed last year’s popular
“Who’s Gonna Fill Their
Shoes? A Classic Country
Retrospective,” and has put
together another show in the
same style.
Jacobson performed with
such diverse talents as Elmer
Bernstein, Henry Mancini,
Jerry Lewis, and George
Hamilton as well as appearing
in numerous musical theater
productions,
and
the
Colgate/Texaco
Country
Showdown.
In this new production,
Jacobson tackles songs by
artists such as Steve Goodman,
Johnny Horton, Eddie Arnold
and Freddy Fender.
Joining Adams and Jacobson
will be Doug Bushwar, who
played guitar for the The
Maddox Brothers and Rose.
Doug’s guitar and vocals
were a memorable part of last
year’s show, and he brings his
considerable talents to some
great new renditions of classic
tunes, ranging from Elvis to
Hank Locklin.
Also returning is bass player
Earl Knight, who played with
Merle Haggard, and does a
great job with the vocals on
By Janine Burgess
COURTESY PHOTO
“Down a Country Road” stars Buck and A Quarter Band.
classic Merle hits.
last year’s “Who’s Gonna Fill
Denise Dee, who many will Their Shoes?,” you are sure to
remember from her beautiful enjoy “Down a Classic Country
rendition of “Stand By Your Road.”
Man” by Tammy Wynette,
The show will be performed
rounds out the vocals with at the CROW Center for the
songs by Patsy Cline, Patti Performing
Arts,
3120
Page and Kay Starr.
Highway 101, on Nov. 11,12
Dee is also known for her and 13 and 18, 19 and 20.
beautiful jazz singing, and has
Showtimes are Fridays and
performed with Harold Jackson Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sunday
of the Ink Spots, and the talent- matinees at 2 p.m.
ed jazz duo On The Wing. Her
Tickets are $15 per person
versatility is evident in songs and can be purchased by calling
like “Blue Bayou” by Roy 541-999-9671 or in person at
Orbison.
Best For Hearing or On Your
Holding everything together Feet With A Splash.
rhythmically with his outstand-
A portion of each ticket sold
ing drumming is Florence will go to benefit Children’s
native Bob Severy.
Repertory
of
Oregon
If you enjoyed the Ink Spots Workshops (CROW).
tribute “If I Didn’t Care” and
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