Odd Version of G&S “Pirates of Penzance in Gananoque

Photo Jay Kopinski.

This production should be titled “Canadian Smugglers on the St. Lawrence in 1926.” It’s an extremely loose adaption of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” by Ashlie Corcoran and Andrew Kushnir. Since the season brochure doesn’t mention that it’s an adaptation, if you’re expecting the original, prepare for a shock.

For example, there’s an extended original rhyming prologue, the girls enter in 1920s beach clothes and end up doing the Charleston with the smugglers to the tune of “Sweet Georgia Brown and instead of policemen, it’s the US Coast Guard in US Navy uniforms. Ukuleles abound and the Finale version of the lovely “Poor Wandering One” morphs into “Makin’ Whoopee.” There’s lots more, but you get the idea.

That said, there are some terrific voices in this cast. However, the unnecessary over-micing of both the cast and the excellent musicians tends to distort the sound. Some of the tempos on the group vocals are so fast that the lyrics are unintelligible, especially the women. On the other hand, the group vocal on the “Hail Poetry” section is wonderful.

The acting tends to fall between two styles – either hokey so-called traditional Gilbert and Sullivan, (Adam Charles as Frederic), or “Spamalot,” (Eric Morin as the French-Canadian Pirate King). The only two who strike a balance are Alison MacDonald as Mabel and W. Joseph Matheson as the Major General. He even manages to make the added local verses of his famous patter song work.

Drew Facey has designed a very nice stylized rocky cove complete with waves that move in time to the music. It’s clever, but goes on too long and becomes distracting. The set for Act II is effective, but it’s not clear why the mansion looks like a church.

Director Ashlie Corcoran and co-writer Kushnir have thrown in every possible joke or anachronism and the director has come up with some peculiar staging. Benjamin Kyte as the Sergeant is in an aisle in the audience for his solo song which is completely drowned out by the sailors’ tap number on the stage. The items in the robbery are predictable and the staging strange. She also hasn’t managed to unite the cast in a cohesive style. When the cast brought a man up from the audience to play the Prime Minister, I gave up on taking notes.

Basically, the script is overloaded with wink-wink, nudge-nudge. It’s like wearing all your best clothes at once. The largely Canadian audience seemed to enjoy it, but I’ll quote my companion. “I wasn’t bored but was disappointed. I expected and wanted to see “The Pirates of Penzance.” My thoughts exactly.

The Pirates of Penzance – 1000 Islands Playhouse through July 18 Tkts: 613-382-7020

The Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert & A. Sullivan, adapted by Ashlie Corcoran & Andrew Kushnir, Produced by the 1000 Islands Playhouse, Gananoque

CREATIVE TEAM

Director – Ashlie Corcoran

Music Director – Steven Greenfield

Choreographer – Shelly Stewart Hunt

Set & Costumes – Drew Facey

Lighting – Michelle Ramsay

Sound – Adam Harendorf

CAST

Darren Burkett – Samuel/Coast guard

Adam Charles – Frederic

Adriana Crivici – Isabel – Coast Guard

Kristin Galer – Edith/Pirate

Andrea Houssin – Kate/ Pirate

Michael Hughes – Pirate/Coast Guard

Benjamin Kyte – Sergeant/Pirate

Alison MacDonald – Mabel

W. Joseph Matheson – Major General Stanley

Eric Morin – Pirate King

Nicole Norsworthy – Pearle/Coast Guard

Jonathan Purvis – Pirate/Coast Guard

Shelley Simester – Ruth

Jacob Wolstencroft – Pirate/Coast Guard