An Unsteady Ship

H.M.S. Pinafore is generally recognized to be one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most energetic productions, but the Harvard Gilbert and Sullivan Players' Agassiz performance is, over-all, unimpressive. While this year's fall show has its bright spots, musical and spatial difficulties make is generally below par.

H.M.S. Pinafore

By W.S. Gilbert

Music by A. Sullivan

Directed by Matt Buchanan

At the Agassiz Theater

Tonight at 8 p.m.

Tomorrow at 8 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Gilbert's story is as witty and entertaining as any he wrote, using the hierarchies of the Queen's Navy to poke fun at the English caste system.

The operetta tells the tale of two pairs of lovers, each divided by the chasm of class. Sailor Ralph Rackstraw and Josephine, the daughter of his ship's captain, are in love; the captain, however, has bigger plans for his daughter--he intends to marry her off to the Honorable Sir Joseph Porter, the leader of all the Queen's Navy.

Meanwhile, Little Buttercup, a rag woman, is in love with the captain, who loves her though he is too proud to acknowledge his affection.

Through a comic series of events, the players come to the conclusion that "love levels all ranks." The rag woman reveals that she was nurse to the captain and Ralph at birth and that she switched them in their cradles. The show ends happily with all the lovers united and the arrogant Sir Joseph stuck with his cousin, Hebe.

It is a promising plot, but the cast--largely through poor enunciation--fails to draw out the ironies, and poor music and choreography in the chorus scenes distract the audience from the better scenes between the main characters.

While Sullivan's music in H.M.S. is generally a pleasure to listen to, the orchestra in the Agassiz production was frequently off-key, which made it slightly disappointing. There was a confusion with timing as well, best exemplified by the opening act, in which, after the orchestra finished playing, all the members turned to stare expectantly at the empty stage for nearly half a minute before the first scene began.

The orchestra also frequently drowned out the singing, thus sadly making it sometimes difficult to grasp Gilbert's irony.

The choreography was also disappointing; while Gilbert and Sullivan productions are usually noteworthy for their choruses, this production of H.M.S. would have benefitted from fewer members. The absence of any sense of choreography forced the dancers to bump into each other and into the set more than they should have.

Despite these faults, last weekend's performance could not completely destroy Gilbert and Sullivan's lyrics and music. Gilbert's quick-witted criticisms of the arbitrary English caste system--as well as some of the slapstick humor added by director Matt Buchanan--made the audience laugh.

And several of the main characters were excellent. Colum Amory was an earnest Ralph Rackstraw, and after some trouble warming up his voice, he was very good. Another of the show's highpoints was Shawna Cornelius in the role of the captain's daughter Josephine. Cornelius has a beautiful voice, and the small scenes which she was in with Amory and Sir Joseph (Orin Percus) saved the show.

"And I never thought of thinking for myself at all," says Sir Joseph, explaining his rise to power. "A British sailor is any man's equal...except mine," he continues. This role, while certainly not a sympathetic one, is the jewel of H.M.S. Pinafore. Percus' facial expressions and the way he used his body to express his arrogance and frustration were perfect for the swollen-headed aristocrat.

The other leading characters were, for the most part, also good. Melody Scheiner as Little Buttercup spent most of her time lurking in the wings, but when she came out to sing, her voice was lovely.

Some of the costuming was also well-done and frequently quite amusing. All of it was reasonably true to the time period (with the exception of the sailors' black loafers). And Sir Joseph's life-jacket, complete with gold tassels to assert his importance and the nighteap and gown which he later sports, made him even more of a comic figure.

Overall, H.M.S. Pinafore was not a great success. The disparity between the quality of the lead roles and the lack of attention to the details of choreography, music and enunciation of the lyrics made it difficult to watch. Each time a smaller scene began, one hoped the show might be picking up, but it returned again to the mire of an over-crowded stage and an overzealous orchestra.