Something Borrowed: Sir Thomas More, the Musical!

The Utopia of Gilbert and Sullivan is a far cry from Sir Thomas More’s 16th century creation, and yet they are strangely similar. More wrote of an island nation so perfect that it became an absurdity in and of itself. And at the beginning of Utopia, Ltd., Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia is not quite at that stage, but aspires to achieve the glory and perfection of that most glorious and perfect nation: England. It is the story of that quest that is the two-hours’ traffic of the Agassiz stage, in this semester’s offering by the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players. (The stage, incidentally, being halfway covered and surrounded by blue plastic balls of the type one might find in the ball pit of a children’s gymnasium.)

And really, how many among us (actual Brits excluded) have always secretly wished to be British? It’s very easy and common to be an Anglophile, and as Gilbert and Sullivan show us, even the residents of that mythical island long to learn and adopt the ways of “the greatest, most powerful, and wisest country in the world.” But such things must be taught, which is why the Princess Zara has returned after studying in England for five years, bringing with her representatives of those habits and institutions that have made the British so great: a British Lord Chamberlain, a captain of the First Life Guards, a Royal Navy captain (who has little toy ships he carries in the pockets of his sailor’s long coat), and a Company Provider, otherwise known as the man concerned with money.

With the help of these four gentlemen, Utopia will actually be able to surpass the British in their Britishness by reforming the government of the island, which was originally “Despotism tempered by Dynamite.” The king used to be held in check by the Public Exploder, who acted on the wishes of two Wise Men. (These three, played by Jim L. Maltese ’04, Kevin J. Angle ’03 and Dennis Clark ’03, respectively, have some of the more hilarious and entertaining moments on the stage.) But the plan is hatched to improve on the structure of government by turning Utopia into a limited liability corporation. What could be more British than that?

Unfortunately, there are some minor problems with a limited liability corporation, but as with any musical comedy, all is resolved in the end by fortuitous plot twists and unlikely circumstances.

So much of what makes Gilbert & Sullivan entertaining, semester after semester after semester after semester (you get the idea), is the richness of commentary and satire found in all of their work. And this production of Utopia, Ltd. (one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s lesser known works), manages to work very well with the material provided. Half of the humor is from the absurdity of situations like despotism tempered by dynamite or governance transformed into limited liability. But the other half comes from the sneaking suspicion in the audience that there is some bit of truth reflected in such absurdities. All of this leaves room for some very creative and funny interpretations and gags and dance numbers. This is a musical comedy, and the production pulls through on the strength of its talent for being cute, campy and not a little silly. Gilbert and Sullivan demand it, and the Gilbert and Sullivan Players oblige them. This is not to say there are no awkward or slow moments, but thank goodness the sparkling and witty moments and maneuvers are there as well.

This is all well and good for fans of Gilbert and Sullivan. To be a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan is to be a fan of humorous social commentary accompanied by simplistic, inane or downright wacky plot developments and songs. This is not so well and good for those looking for drama, for a deep and touching exploration of lived experience, for an insightful and meaningful look at some of the tragedy of the human condition. Of course not.

It’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to be lighthearted fun at the expense of ourselves, that is, if we were actually a late 19th century British audience, naturally. But being an Anglophile is close enough.

UTOPIA LTD., or THE FLOWERS OF PROGRESS

written by Gilbert and Sullivan

music directed by Jonathan Dinerstein

stage directed by Jose Zayas

Through April 14 Agassiz Theater