Fest's 'Penzance' is exceptional

"THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE," Deer Valley Music Festival, Deer Valley Resort, Friday.

DEER VALLEY — The Utah Symphony & Opera's staging of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" last weekend at the outdoor Deer Valley Amphitheater pulled out all the stops. Shtick and sight gags gave this production a campiness that worked, primarily because the singers went all out and had a blast doing so.

There was nothing subtle about this production, and for once that didn't matter. They played up to the huge audience spread out on the slope, drawing them into G&S's magical world, where nothing is ever as it seems.

The plots behind Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas are based on misunderstandings. In the case of "The Pirates of Penzance," it revolves around young Frederic being apprenticed to a group of inept pirates until he reaches his 21st birthday, because his nursemaid Ruth misunderstood his father's wishes.

When the operetta opens, Frederic has just turned 21 and is ready to leave the pirates and turn them into the local constabulary, whose bungling ways make the Keystone Kops look efficient. Unfortunately, Frederic was born on Feb. 29, and so, counting by birthdays, Frederic won't reach 21 for another 60 years.

But all isn't lost. Through a clever set of circumstances that only William S. Gilbert could conjure up, Frederic finally frees himself from the pirate band and finds his true love, while the pirates escape punishment, since they are all members of the nobility "who have gone astray."

Leading off the cast in this delightful gambol was local favorite George Dyer as Frederic, and frequent Utah Symphony guest artist and Broadway star Lisa Vroman as Frederic's love interest, Mabel.

The Pirate King was sung by Carlos Archuleta, who was recently seen as Papageno in Utah Opera's production of Mozart's "Magic Flute." Michael J. Wanko was Major-General Stanley and Donald Sherrill sang the role of the Sergeant of Police. Ruth was sung by Melissa Parks.

All six showed off their considerable acting talents and exhibited a wonderful sense of comedy. Vocally, they were in equally fine form.

However, it was James Rollins as Samuel, the Pirate King's lieutenant, who stole the show and showed a true flair for comedy. Rollins' over-the-top performance was delightfully exaggerated as he went about the stage primping and fussing over the pirates' uniforms and the ladies' dresses.

Members of the Utah Opera Chorus were, as always, exceptional. The men, as the pirate band and the police, held their own to the leads. The women were charming as Major-General Stanley's numerous wards.

Conductor Gerald Steichen returned to Deer Valley to lead the Utah Symphony. His pacing was taut and added immeasurably to the success of the evening.

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E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com