Gilbert & Sullivan come back to E-town with a Penzance

Pirates of Penzance

Written by Gilbert and Sullivan
Directed by Rob Herriot
Starring Curt Olds, Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, and Lawrence Wiliford
February 6, 9, and 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Jubilee Auditorium (11455–87 Ave.)
$32–165 at Ticketmaster

Back before Captain Jack Sparrow or the Internet Pirate-Ninja Wars, there was The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty. Written by the renowned duo Gilbert & Sullivan in 1879, the comic opera has been a mainstay of theatres, both professional and amateur, for over a hundred years. And now it is casting anchor at the Edmonton Opera.

The story concerns Frederic, apprenticed as a pirate until his 21st birthday due to a misunderstanding (pilot and pirate sound alike). When he finally achieves his emancipation from a lovable gang of swashbucklers, he ventures out and finds a fiancée in the lovely Mabel. However, before a fairytale wedding can take place, it is revealed that Frederic was born on February 29 and so has only served five birthdays according to his contract — problems abound, thanks in part to the distinctly British sense of "duty" (Pirates is of course set in stuffy Victorian England). Throw in “the very model of a modern Major-General” with a few bumbling cops, and you've struck comedic gold.

To maximize its inherent merit, the Edmonton Opera has put the classic into the most loving of hands. Director Robert Herriot is a huge fan of Gilbert & Sullivan’s work, saying that by the age of 15, he knew half of their songs already, “especially those for Pirates.” In fact, he has “just always had a soft spot for it.”

Recently, Herriot directed the Sterling Award winning HMS Pinafore, also at the Edmonton Opera, and also an exemplar of Gilbert & Sullivan. If anyone knows these tides, he does.

The script remains as hilariously topsy-turvy as ever, with plenty of jabs at the society of the time. The British sense of "duty" is particularly played upon, including such troubles as Frederic’s ridiculous legal troubles, and his Victorian nursemaid’s staunch personal attendance, despite being aboard a pirate vessel.

To better match both the historical and tonal qualities of the piece, the production has been given costumes to do the job. The opera has outfitted many new costumes to equal the bright and vivid story of the old English musical.

“They’ve remade all the pirate costumes, and all the female leads have been rebuilt. And they worked on all the main characters; they’ve been redesigned with a much more whimsical approach to it. Very colourful, very flamboyant,” says Herriot.

The English seacoast set, too, is colourful, apart from the “gothic look at Act II” inside a ruined chapel.

So who will enjoy Pirates of Penzance? Just about everybody, claims Herriot.

“The average non-opera goer, the people who think opera is the horned-women singing, will be pleasantly surprised to find this isn’t the same stigma, and all stigma of opera they thought will vanish because it’s accessible and fun,” says Herriot.

He goes on to say age is no barrier, either.

“We had a young girl, a family friend, in the audience during rehearsal and she really enjoyed it. She’s only eight. And of course I think older people will enjoy it because it will bring back memories of their high-school production. Everyone knows Pirates of Penzance, and I think universally it will be enjoyable.”