HMS Pinafore

newLOG summer show is a sell out!

Review from the Grimsby Telegraph

HMS Pinafore - New London Opera Group, Riverhead Theatre, Louth.

Silliness and pomposity abounds as, once again, the New London Opera Group deliver a tasty slice of Victorian satire wrapped snugly inside a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera.

Sally Avery's entertaining production blends frivolity and absurdity; ensuring Gilbert's delicious lyrics continue to "tickle the fancy", as they first did more than 130 years ago.

The quarterdeck of this naval ship witnesses not a great sea battle but a romantic skirmish.

Josephine (Rebekah Engeler), the captain's daughter, must decide whether to abide by her father's wishes and marry the First Lord of the Admiralty (Chris Cann) or follow her heart and elope with Ralph (David Menezes), one of his lowly seamen.

In Gilbert and Sullivan's hands this is no mere ménage a trois but an opportunity to poke fun at the farcical strictures of class division and the concept of equality.

Rebekah combines purity of voice with warmth of character and Chris undermines Sir Joseph Porter's self-importance with comic aplomb, especially during his autobiographical song "When I was a lad".

The ship's motley crew features the grim realist Dick Deadeye and there is an irresistible pixie-like appeal to James Hallett's scuttling about the stage.

Under Graham Rogers' direction, the 14-piece orchestra glides gracefully through Sullivan's familiar melodies and the company delights in such popular numbers as "We sail the ocean blue", "I'm called Little Buttercup" and "For he is an Englishman".

Of course, as a comic opera, there is no final death scene and in true G&S style, a twist in the plot delivers a happy ending for cast and audience alike.