Hilarious Voyage with "Pirates"

Amid the plethora of Harvard’s arts offerings, it might be easy to take the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players for granted. Year after year they mount solid productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operettas, typically eschewing gimmicks or eccentric stagings in favor of period costumes and a classic good time. Their new production of “The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty,” which runs through Sunday in the Agassiz Theater, demonstrates the very best of this approach. Those who make the trek to the Agassiz will be rewarded with two and a half hours of glorious farce, brought to life by an ensemble whose effortless comic rapport is the kind that only comes through grueling practice.

First staged in 1879, “Pirates” is at its core a light-hearted Victorian satire. The eponymous hero of the story is Frederic (Alexander J. Raun ’17), who on his 21st birthday is preparing to leave his apprenticeship with a merry band of pirates. As a newly restored law-abiding citizen, he feels duty-bound to turn against his old friends; hilarity ensues. Along the way Frederic falls in love with Mabel (Allison A. Ray ’14), the daughter of a major-general. The script is riddled with quintessentially British humor in the form of puns, one-liners, and absurd turns of events, which feel surprisingly fresh thanks to the cast’s energetic delivery.

On the whole, the principal actors are excellent in most respects, with only a few minor complaints. While to-the-letter adherence to duty must be the defining trait of Frederic’s character, Raun’s Frederic is priggish in a way that can verge on irritating. As a singer, however, Raun is irreproachable, with a sweet voice and easy vibrato that convey Frederic’s earnest nature. As Mabel, Ray stuns from the moment of her entrance, unleashing a burst of sinuous coloratura that understandably sets Frederic swooning. While Ray shows great vocal agility in the upper reaches of her range, she excels in slower passages as well. Her Act II duet with Raun, “Stay, Fred’ric, Stay,” is a touching departure from the overall levity of the show and provides a showcase for the leads’ gorgeous voices.

The supporting actors are equally memorable in their roles. As Mabel’s father, Major-General Stanley, Daniel W. Erickson ’14 shows an uncanny ability to inhabit the voice and mannerisms of a doddering old man. The potentially daunting “I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General” proves a triumph for him, and the major-general’s pompous bluster elicits some of the show’s biggest laughs. Other standouts include Ben M. Kelly ’17, who is dashing and totally at ease with his fellow actors in the role of the Pirate King. The weak point in an otherwise strong cast is Amelia H. Ross ’14, whose performance as the pirates’ maid Ruth seems forced and unnatural.

In a show filled with group numbers, much of the credit for the production is a result of the ensemble as a whole, under the capable stage direction of Allen J. Macleod ’14. Each section of the ensemble has a studied dynamic, from the almost parodic liveliness of the major-general’s daughters to the bumbling energy of the policemen who hop around the stage like bobble-head dolls. Every cast member is constantly interacting and reacting to events in a way that seems organic, making for a rich visual experience.

While the show’s quieter voices and rapid-fire lyrics are sometimes obscured by the orchestra, an unfortunate result of the sound level balance, music director George Baxter ’16 has done well by Gilbert and Sullivan’s catchy tunes. Particularly exciting are numbers such as “Poor Wand’ring One” and “With Cat-Like Tread” in which the cast manages to maintain vocal control while alternately skipping, leaping, kicking, running in circles, or lying flat on the ground. Hannah G. Sears ’16 has designed a set that allows the actors make the most of the Agassiz stage. Its most striking element is a lovely painted backdrop of an ocean sunset; beyond this, there is little to obstruct the cast from romping around the available space.

Ultimately, the most enjoyable aspect of the production is that everyone in it seems to be having a wonderful time, and this playful spirit is infectious. “Pirates” may not be the most emotionally challenging production at Harvard this fall—and there’s no need for it to be—but the show succeeds at what it sets out to do: it masters the beloved source material to create a light, funny, and charming experience.