Never Mind the Why and Wherefore

Saturday night we caught a performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin's production of H.M.S. Pinafore. While not a professional production, the amateurs involved are dedicated and their love for the Gilbert and Sullivan tradition is obvious.

The story is a bit convoluted, but the basic plot is that Josephine, the captain's daughter, loves a man below her station, Ralph, able seaman. While she realizes her love, her father the captain is trying to match her up with the jolly elder statesman, Sir Joseph, Admiral of the Sea. There's a lady named Buttercup who seems to know a secret and worked her way onto the ship. There are also the sailors on the ship, and all of Sir Joseph's "sisters and his cousins and his aunts."

While Buttercup (our friend Janette Jones, marvelous as always) gets one of the first songs in the opera, what really started off the show for the audience was the Captain (Frank Delvy) and the sailors singing "I am the Captain of the Pinafore". Delvy as the Captain and Russell Gregory as Sir Joseph really shine, especially in the trio with Josephine (Claire Vangelisti): "Never Mind the Why and Wherefore." Because of the staging of this number, the audience ended up applauding about five times in all. We were almost in tears laughing at the end of this song, and we weren't the only ones.

As far as the lovebirds go, we felt that Claire Vangelisti's strong voice (and oh, those high notes she hits dead on!) far outshone that of Holton Harrison Johnson (playing Ralph). Perhaps he was having an off night, but his solo singing was strained throughout the show. Was it his straight-tone or the force of projecting that caused this effect? We don't know. In his duets and harmonies with other characters it isn't noticeable and his voice blends in nicely.

The choreography and costuming fit the era nicely, but the tan outfit that Josephine wears in the first act (with a black hat, ack!) is a bit strange. The choreography is deceptively simple, and the effort that the youngest actor was putting into it was obvious.

Lyric books are available at the door if you are eager to catch all the language; you may even find youself humming along with familiar tunes. In the end, the opera is a marvelous time with great comic acting by all and some wonderful music. It would be difficult not to enjoy this performance.

HMS Pinafore runs thru July 2, Th-Sa @ 8pm / Su @ 3pm at Forrest Kline Performing Arts Center @ Crockett HS, 5601 Manchaca (at Stassney). Tickets: $20, can be purchased online or at the door.

* Photo (c) toomanybeers

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