by Jeff Britton
SDUN Opera Critic

Satirizing a satire can be risky business, especially when the original is about social mores largely abandoned and long faded from general consciousness. But with the right combination of campy fun and fidelity to the send-ups intended – not to mention a fine cast – the result is a delightful crowd-pleaser.

Such is the case with Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance,” which Lyric Opera of San Diego opened last weekend at Birch North Park Theatre. The popular classic continues through April 11.

Under the competent direction of Leon Natker, who doubles as conductor of the energetic orchestra, the show revels in its preposterous plot with a blend of corny humor, lots of sight gags, slapstick, mugging and all manner of exaggerated mannerisms.

But it is Sullivan’s simple, charming melodies that are the glue that binds it into true entertainment. Gilbert’s plots often made fun of serious opera plots as much as English nobility. He was the master of tricky rhymes (like “gyrate” with “pirate”) and breathless, tongue-twisting patter songs, and his rhythms often gave Sullivan the rhythm for the melodies. But Sullivan’s music is more than just a series of melodies; it is full of skillful counterpoint and the clever use of instruments.

For the most part, this production mines those melodies for all their worth, beginning with the overture, with Natker’s orchestra keeping the tempos tidy and the mood spirited.
“Pirates” tells the story of a young pirate apprentice named Frederic who has come to the end of his indentured period. As it turns out, Frederic was indentured by mistake. His half-deaf nurse, Ruth, had been instructed to apprentice him to a “pilot” but got it a little wrong. At any rate, Frederic has decided to leave the pirate life forever and, though he loves his comrades dearly, devote his life to the extermination of their kind.

However, since he is still one of them until the stroke of midnight on his 21st birthday, he feels obliged to point out the pirates’ weakness that they are too softhearted. Apparently all a captive must do is plead to being an orphan and he is immediately released.

Once he gets to shore, Frederic, who has never seen any woman other than his old nurse, stumbles on a bevy of beautiful maidens. He immediately falls in love with the most beautiful of the bunch, Mabel, who graciously offers to reclaim the “Poor Wandering One” in one of the show’s loveliest songs.

Frederic has forgotten, however, that there are pirates about who are delighted by the beauty of their captives and decide to use the opportunity of getting married with impunity. But the girls’ father, Major-General Stanley, arrives just in the nick of time and claims untruthfully to be an orphan, thus winning a brief reprieve for his daughters.

The general is terrified that the pirates will uncover his lie, but Frederic eases his fears, promising to apprehend the band of pirates and put an end to their plundering. Further complications abound when Frederic learns that, due to a technicality, he is still indentured to the pirates. I warned you that the plot was preposterous, but that’s half the fun.

Amid the high camp and silly shenanigans there is some lovely vocal work, notably between Benjamin Robinson as Frederic and Megan Weston as Mabel. Robinson’s diction is clear, though his singing sometimes elicits a slight ring in the crescendos, while Weston’s diction is murky, at times obscuring Gilbert’s clever lyrics. But what a lovely sound she has as she navigates the tricky trills and other vocal challenges with aplomb.

A few of the young ingénues had some projection problems but otherwise they made a pleasing ensemble, as did the guys, whose bravado was apparent with every hearty song.
In the operetta’s most famous song, J. Sherwood Montgomery as the general made nice work of “I am the very model of a modern major-general.” Its torrent of lyrics satirizes the military, and the final verse was ludicrously updated with references to Sarah Palin, Tina Fey, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Twitter. Montgomery was appropriately hammy in a role that begs an actor to chew the scenery.

Ashraf Sewailam made a not-too-villainous pirate king with his sonorous bass-baritone in fine form. Other vocal standouts were Fran Hartshorn as Ruth, Sarah E. Brand as Edith and Walter DuMelle as the sergeant.

Montgomery’s candy-colored sets add to the whimsical spirit, while the strong boisterous chorus boasted a few quite agile dancers. Their turn as police officers was hilarious and made the Keystone Cops look like pros. Nothing was sacred to Gilbert and Sullivan, including Queen Victoria, which may explain the show’s enduring appeal.
It’s a fun treat for the whole family. A large group of teenagers on opening night seemed to be having a rollicking good time.

Performances: April 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11
Birch North Park Theatre
2891 University Ave.
239-8836
lyricoperasandiego.org