Pirates of Penzance 1983

Artistic Team

Philip A. Kraus......................................................................Stage Director
Barnard Jones........................................................................Conductor
Lynn Colburn.........................................................................Choreographer
Linda Buchanan .....................................................................Scenic Designer
Susan L. Bonde......................................................................Costume Designer
Margaret L. Nelson...............................................................Lighting Designer

Cast

Major General Stanley......................................................... William T. Wronski
The Pirarte King.................................................................... Bradley Nystrom
Samuel.................................................................................... Mark Williams
Frederic.................................................................................. Donald Kasch
Sergeant of Police................................................................. John Holland
Mabel...................................................................................... Donna J. Rollene
Edith........................................................................................ Theresa Brancaccio
Kate......................................................................................... Elizabeth Gelman
Isabel....................................................................................... Loretta Haskell
Ruth......................................................................................... Ann G. Hoselitz
Chauncey................................................................................. David Bedella

Pirates: Alejandro G. Abraham, Mark Hayden Adams, Brian Bruder, David Graces,
Daniel Hurtado, Jeff Lapidus, Dave Lewman, Terrance C. McCracken, Petger Schaberg,
Jerry Arthur Sigman, Bruce Tilley

Major General Stanley's Daughters: Barbara Gray, Kathryn Hatgrove, Joanne M. Hoy, Catherine Kasch, Karen H. Laner, Hazella Rollins-Epps, Lorin Stein, Lisa Woodruff,
Jacque Zander

Policeman: Mark Hayden Adams, David Bedella, Chris Garbecht, David Graves,
Jeff Lapidus, Jeff Little, Terrance C. McCracken, John O'Connell

1983 had been the year that the Lyric Opera in Chicago had decided to trot out a radical production of The Mikado directed by Peter Sellars in an extra single show spring season. It had received good reviews, but was generally despised by audiences. Who really wanted to Nanki-Poo shooting up heroin; REALLY! Philip Kraus, who had experienced that Lyric production as a cover for Pooh-Bah, firmly decided to do a traditional production of the popular Gilbert and Sullivan vehicle Pirates of Penzance. This would also mean eschewing ideas from the recent Joseph Papp revival of the show in New York.

While the Papp version did much to re-popularize G&S with a younger generation, the production had been misguided in several key areas. Kraus had no problem with rock and roll stars and Broadway actors taking the leads; but the new orchestrations were horrible and an insult to Sullivan's score. Additionally, recasting the policeman's chorus, which in Gilbert's original vision had been am inhibited, stiff, bound -to-duty constabulary as "Keystone" cops, made them virtual identical in histrionic physical terms to the freewheeling pirates, thus depriving the audience of the wonderful contrast that Gilbert had originally manufactured.

Kraus had a few new ideas of his own. Since the Pirates were all really "nobelmen who had gone wrong", they needed a Gentleman's Gentleman who would serve tea and wait on the whims of this eccentic band of orphans. Thus the character of "Chauncey" was created. Gilbert would have found the "topsy-turvey" nature of that choice to his liking. Kraus also decided to reveal Ruth as "Queen Victoria" at the end of the show when the defeated Sergeant of Police entreats the Pirates to yield in her name. Another bit of topsy-turveyism that even the Queen herself might have delighted in. The Policeman were kept inept, but stiff-laced and introverted rather than having them do endless pratfalls and silly, extraneous movement as they had done in the Papp production (and many misguided productions since!).

In her first show for LOW, Linda Buchanan provided a rich, atmospheric set with multiple levels of rock replete with a grotto (where the Major General would make his entrance in a little dinghy) and a moving pirate ship bough in front of the backdrop. For the first time a show curtain was designed with a map of the coast of England showing the location of Penzance and compass which opened up to reveal Samuel peering at the audience through a telescope at the end of the overture (see picture in the gallery). Making the production a complete feast for the eyes were Margaret Nelson's atmospheric, seafoam lighting and Susan Bonde's delightful costuming.

Kraus assembled a seasoned cast of past leads with the company and several G&S specialists. Bill Wronski returned to do one of the most madcap Major Generals in the operetta's long history. The lovely lyric tenor of Donald Kasch who had appeared in Galatea the previous season, did full justice to the demanding tenor role. Ravishing blond, Donna Rollene undertook her first leading lady assignment doing an energetic, delightful performance of Mabel after having appeared as Ciesca in Schicchi. Brad Nystrom and Ann Hoselitz were also back from previous seasons in fine, focused form. And G&S enthusiast and scholar John Holland, appeared as the bumbling Sergeant of Police; another in a string of roles that he would play with the company over the years.

The 1983 Pirates was a delight from start to finish, establishing the company's rich understanding of the Gilbert and Sullivan genre, and proved after the radical rethinking of The Mikado at Lyric and Papp production of Pirates, that there was still much that could engage a modern audience sticking to the author and composer's original intentions.

Use the buttons on the left to view reviews and pictures from the production.