Review: “The Pirates of Penzance” offers up a full bounty of escapist fun

Here’s a Victorian-era joke that might make you chuckle: If William Penn’s aunts kept a pastry shop, what would be the prices of their pies? The pie-rates of Penn’s Aunts. The Victorian age was a little while ago and the jokes they told then might now be as stale as the pastries in William Penn’s aunts’ pastry shop. But Gilbert and Sullivan’s delightful and witty show, The Pirates of Penzance — currently being performed by The Atlanta Opera at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre through January 30 — still has plenty of sweet bites and fresh delights of songs, silliness and sass.

The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty, had its debut on December 31, 1879, the same day that Thomas Edison first demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time. Audiences have been glowing from both ever since.

Originally, the show was a satiric operetta casting its eye on Victorian life at the time: one’s sense of duty to queen and country. The show’s characters are caricatures of figures in Victorian society. Underlying currents of imperial expansion were at play (1879 England was at war with the Zulu Kingdom) in the show, highlighting blind devotion to the flag. The lampooning of the British political system was also at hand in the silly show.

Most of these themes might be missing from current productions and audiences might not get anything more than what is presented on stage at face value. Luckily, that value is a good one still. It’s just a fun show and in this age of quarantines and self-isolation, being in a hall with others snickering at silly folks singing wonderfully about silly things is something of a balm.

The story concerns Frederic. Having completed his 21st year, he is released from his apprenticeship to a band of swell pirates. He meets the daughters of Major-General Stanley, including Mabel. They fall instantly in love. Frederic learns, however, having been born on a February 29, a leap year day, his indenture specifies that he remain with the pirates until his 21st birthday. Alas, that’s another 63 years. Bound by duty, he remains with the pirates, consoled, at least, by the fact that Mabel will wait for him. In betwixt all this — comedic hijinks, happy-go-lucky musical numbers and plenty of pizzazz.

Under the able direction of Seán Curran, who also did the show’s choreography, the show is solid top to bottom. James Schuette’s costume designs are reminiscent of those old Disney movies we’ve all grown to love — think Mary Poppins, think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The music, under the capable baton of Francesco Milioto, is a delight. Gilbert and Sullivan parodied some of their favorite composers in the production: Verdi, Gounod, Mozart, and Schubert and Milioto and the fine musicians in the orchestra pit brought them to the (pina)fore. (Gilbert and Sulliivan pun right there).

And how was, you might be asking, that famous major-general song? “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” is a patter song and arguably, the most famous piece Gilbert and Sullivan ever wrote. Replete with historical and cultural references, it’s difficult to perform because it’s fast paced and the lyrics are tongue-twisters. Curt Olds, whose Atlanta Opera debut was the 2016 production of The Pirates of Penzance, brings it. It’s funny. It’s musically well-done. It’s got goofy little dance moves in it. Olds, a baritone, is a delight whenever he enters the stage.

Craig Irvin plays the Pirate King. With a rich vibrant voice and a warm command of the stage, he’s super. Sankara Harouna, who is making his debut with The Atlanta Opera in the role of Samuel, is charming.

Gretchen Krupp is also making the most of her debut. The Virginia native makes the role of Edith her own — fun and entertaining from the start. Argentinian tenor Santiago Ballerini plays Frederic with plenty of swash in his buckle but the flatout best in show comes from Susanne Burgess, who plays the role of Mabel. A star on the rise, Burgess’ debut with The Atlanta Opera was just last year, in the 2021 production of The Threepenny Opera. The British-American soprano has a slate of productions in front of her. Those productions will be well-served. As Mabel, her comedic timing was spot on. Her voice is a force. Her range is as wide as whatever ocean the warm-hearted pirates sail across.

The show doesn’t fully sail one away into a land of enchantment but it gets you to where you want to go: a pleasant escape. The set designs are adequate. The first act has a pirate ship, of sorts, that is functional but doesn’t wow in any great sense. The second act is set mostly in a cemetery. There are some large tombstones around but nothing that impresses. The choreography has its moments, funny and otherwise, but there’s nothing entirely memorable. And some of the jokes fall flat, simply because of the fact that decades have come and gone since Gilbert and Sullivan guffawed over their office desks at the Savoy. You know in the musical Annie where Franklin Delano Roosevelt has a scene? That’s not particularly interesting anymore (was it ever?). Sort of like when Queen Victoria makes an appearance in The Pirates of Penzance. Kudos to the director for knowing some of the jokes in the show no longer hit. (Minor spoiler alert: They have inserted a couple of Covid jokes into the script).

Will this show change your life? It will not. Will you remember it as one of the most special theatrical experiences you’ve ever witnessed? I’m going to guess, no. But, it does satisfy in its own small way. It’s an amuse bouche of a show. Sweet, short and lovely, it’s a tasty morsel that reminds us — as we try and recapture art as a living, breathing (with mask on), necessary bit of being humans — that musical theater is a wonderful expression of who we are. All the better if we can laugh at a goofball major-general.