Pirates Of Penzance
27 April 2008
REVIEW OF ‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’ BY STEWART ADKINS (NODA)
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Ingatestone Musical Operetta Group - Pirates of Penzance PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Ingatestone Musical and Operetta Group, April 23, 2008 Director – Tony Brett, Musical Director – Betty Moore I was somewhat hesitant as I sat in the audience listening to the familiar strains of the overture. Here we go again, not another G&S! And yet, as the curtains parted and the opening scenes unfolded I found myself chuckling, then laughing and then thoroughly enjoying myself. It is a long time since I have seen Ruth and Frederic’s scenes portrayed with so much common sense and audibility. I think it may have been the freshness of Frederic, who I’ll wager does not have a history in G&S, because he played it totally straight, without tongue in cheek. Ruth did the same, which made it all the funnier. And what a masterstroke to cast the mature ladies as chaperones. This not only neatly sidestepped the usual horror of seeing supposedly pretty daughters older than their father, the Major-General, but gave us an additional source of comic business during “Oh is there not one maiden breast”. With beautiful costumes and wigs the daughters came across superbly, with some strong singing from the youngsters Isobel, Kate and Edith. Mabel had a gorgeous voice and managed to sing each note as clear as a bell, even the top notes that the human ear could barely hear. The Major General sang well and the Pirate King was a likeable rogue with great presence. The men’s chorus suffered somewhat from the split between Pirates and Policemen since there was not quite enough critical mass of either during the vocals, although there was no problem with the movement, which was both convincing and funny. Once or twice the ensemble parted company from the orchestra but the reunion was swift. IMOG has been extremely lucky to keep many of the youngsters who were in The Boyfriend. I don’t know whether they could have cast it without them but they certainly did well, despite the vocal demands of operetta being rather taxing compared with the lighter shows. Overall, IMOG’s “Pirates” was excellent with some touches I had not seen before (eg the chaperones); all the costumes were good, especially Act One girls, and the sound system worked well when the rifle mikes weren’t being kicked! Reviewer- Stewart Adkins |
"As the curtains parted and the opening scenes unfolded I found myself chuckling, then laughing and then thoroughly enjoying myself. " ...writes Stewart Adkins (NODA Critic)
Director - Tony Brett
Musical Director - Betty Moore Dramatis Personae
Pirate King - Ken Cooper Major General Stanley - John Lambert Frederick - Mike Hancy Samuel - Miguel Martinez de Aguirre Ruth - Rebecca Beard Sergeant of Police - Maurice Cole Mabel - Sarah Garrett Edith - Carolyn Kirkpatrick Kate - Emma Ware Isobel - Kerry Elliot Daughters - Sarah Dodsworth, Tabitha Munday, Theresa Ravenscroft, Sarah Cuff, Pam Sutton, Angela Saville, Judy Cairns, Lynn Johnson Chaperones - Shirley Harris, Michelle Waller, Barbara Pountney, Margaret Tasker, June Bridges, Jean Burrows, Chris Hill, Glad Moseley, Hilary Weal, Mandy Dexter Chorus of Pirates & Police - Peter Spencer-Charles, Mike Johnson, Ian Johnson, Tom Greenwood, Peter May, James Kemble, Bruce Hill, Malcolm Bland ORCHESTRA
Violin 1 Helen Ryan Violin 2 John Hawkins Double Bass Rob Veale Flute/Piccolo Anne Oddy French Horn Jamie Merrick Percussion Mark Edwards Piano/Accompanist Dorothy Taylor *Acknowledgement to James Newby for the Band Parts BEHIND THE SCENES Rehearsal Pianist - Pat Thornton & Dorothy Taylor Stage Manager - Nigel Bowdidge Stage Assistants Chris Denly, Fred Nichols, Sue & Ian Burridge Prompt - Ros Langston Lighting & Sound - Steve Bearpark Scenery - Paul Lazell Publicity Jill Sowerbutts, Brenda Hennessy Props Lilian Hunter, Ken Cooper & Paul Lazell Costumes - Tony Brett &Shirley Harris Make up - Friends of IMOG Front of House Jill Sowerbutts, Brenda Hennessy, Norma Quarterman, Members & Friends of IMOG Tickets - Dizzy Morgan Box Office Avrohurst Ltd, 53 High St, Ingatestone Poster Design - Jill Sowerbutts Programme Design - David Aquino Programme Printing - Simon Fox |
