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Sinfonicron produces ‘Pirates of Penzance’

The Sinfonicron Light Opera Company presented the musical “Pirates of Penzance” this past weekend, produced by Timothy Kaufmann ’08 and directed by Dan Plehal ’09.

Courtesy Photo — ChristianAmonson.com. The Sinfonicron Light Opera Company produced Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic musical, “Pirates of Penzance” last weekend. Over 90 students worked on the show.

The student-run production was fantastic, and left its audience recounting hilarious one-liners and humming memorable songs. It was clear that the cast, which spent two weeks of winter break preparing the musical (doing everything from rehearsing to set construction), loved this production and put their hearts into it. The product was truly outstanding.

‘Penzance’ tells the story of a young man named Frederick, who is mistakenly apprenticed at a young age as a pirate until his 21st birthday. Now that his service to the “glorious” Pirate King and his band of harmless pirates is complete, Frederick’s undeniable sense of duty leads him to rid the seas of these ruffians. Complications arise, and their island is invaded by a group of lovely daughters, the likes of which Frederick has never before seen. The plot quickly thickens, however, and chaos erupts.

Though the musical’s humor is in the lyrics, the cast brought the production to life through humorous choreography. The original script leaves much for interpretation and the actors, led by choreographer Kelsey Meiklejohn ’09, took full advantage of physical movement and slapstick comedy in every scene. Their musical nod to “Pirates of the Caribbean” during a fight scene delighted the audience.

Fantastic vocal performances were showcased in ‘Pirates,’ as nearly every principal character exceeded expectations. Josh Garstka ’09 brought boyish charm to his lead role, creating a humorous musical number when he encounters beautiful women his own age. Barret Armbruster ’10, shone as the Pirate King, delivering each line with impeccable comedic timing. His vocal performance was the strongest in the musical and the twinkle in his eye was visible even from the balcony. His counterpart, Rolfe Shiflett ’08, was delightful as well — his hilarious accent added flavor to every line and his performance of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” was well-done.

Courtesy Photo — christianamonson.com. Sinfonicron “flew” the skull and crossbones across the curtains for the group’s recent production of “Pirates of Penzance.”

Maurene Comey’s ’10 beautiful soprano voice filled the theater and, although there was some difficulty understanding her lyrics, she was lovely nonetheless. Mary Myers ’10, who played Frederick’s desperate-yet-loveable nanny, stole the first scenes of the production. The delightful scene of Myers desperately clinging to Frederick’s leg to convince him of her worldly beauty was priceless. In addition, the flexible Brent Schultheis ’08 gave new meaning to physical comedy. It was a real disappointment he didn’t make an appearance in the first act.

The members of the ensemble of pirates, police and daughters did a great job, causing my eyes to dart from actor to actor. Everyone seemed to be having fun as their gestures and body movements stayed true to their characters. The interaction between the sophisticated daughters and the rowdy pirates was quite entertaining. Notable performances included Anna Hunter ’10, Jake Nelson ’11 and Chris Bassett ’08.

The student orchestra of over 20 students also did an exceptional job. On opening night they seemed a bit off, but most likely that can be written off to first-night jitters. Their overture was complemented by a skull and cross bones lit on the curtain, a perfect way to begin the musical.

The students that presented ‘Pirates’ should be proud; it was truly a wonderful performance. It surpassed most productions put on by the College’s theatre department. I will be awaiting Sinfonicron’s show next year, with hopes it proves as entertaining as this one.