I went to STAGEright‘s production of Pirates of Penzance (at Freehold Theatre Friday and Saturday nights through Nov. 19; tickets: $15) last weekend not knowing what to expect. And frankly, what I was met with when I sat down in the back row of the audience did not bode well. The cast was already on stage! And then they started singing! My friend and I looked at each other, confused. Was this…part of the show? Was it meant to provide us with backstory for the band of pirates? If so, why? And if not…why?
Unfortunately, I still don’t know the answer to these questions; but fortunately, the show proper really surprised me, in a good way. Yes, the troupe sold themselves short with their “pre-show,” but this cast’s acting, comedic timing, and commitment won me over, and made for a unique–and quite amusing–production of Pirates.
Jordan Melin as Frederic/Queen Victoria had the best comedic timing of the bunch. He read the audience well, pausing at just the right moments to throw in a comment designed to break the fourth wall. As the Pirate King, Sophia Federighi was charmingly gruff and blustery, although the vocal range was a bit out of her comfort zone. Gender-bending is interesting as far as it goes, but I think this would have been more successful if it were less obvious that the part wasn’t written for a woman.
Delightful as both Ruth and a hilariously blind General’s daughter is Ashley Coates (it sounds bad, I know, but the physical comedy that results from this visually challenged character choice really is funny). She and Melin sound great together vocally, and her commitment to both age (as Ruth) and blindness is to be commended.
Arwen Dewey as Mabel and Paul Linnes as General Stanley were both a little vocally shaky. Dewey certainly had the chops to sing the notably tough role of Mabel, but opening night jitters may have made the top range a little more difficult than normal. Linnes was clearly more comfortable behind the piano, where he stayed for much of the show. (When he was playing the General, the cast had to make due with canned music, although Federighi proved her versatility by accompanying–while in character as the Pirate King–Linnes on “Modern Major General.”)
The rest of the cast made good impressions as General Stanley’s daughters (both women and men) and as the band of pirates (again, both women and men). This was clearly a cast that had spent a lot of time together, and it was delightful to see that camaraderie on stage.
