Frederic has completed his indentured service as a crew-member of the notorious Pirates of Penzance, and (with some regret) must move on. He has enjoyed his stint immeasurably, but presently, his erstwhile companions must become adversaries. He gives them a few tactful notes on pirating (pirateship?). For example, word has spread that they will spare anyone who finds themselves an orphan (they themselves being orphans). As it happens, all their abductees are orphans. Afterward, he nearly crosses paths with some dainty sisters, but turns away, lest he accidentally gaze while they are changing clothes. Then Mabel appears. She is clearly the most beautiful of all the sisters, and sets upon Frederic as a lost soul (Poor Wandering One). The result is, in a word, kismet. Things being what they are, the rest of the pirates, wish to marry the remaining sisters. Complications continue to emerge.
Gilbert and Sullivan, masters of comic operetta, are merry, whimsical, tongue-in-cheek, and quite adept at applying the grandiose to the humble. As we might expect from the creators of The HMS Pinafore and The Mikado. A sort of hybrid between a musical revue and spectacular nonsense. Imagine when a child presents his (or her) crayon drawing to proud parents who ceremoniously tape the picture to the refrigerator. Consider the adult version of that. Except the artist knows perfectly well that WE know perfectly well, that its preposterous to make such a fuss over the trivial and/or mediocre. And this example of the hyperbolic is a kind of satire. The magic of elaborate pomp. At least in the U.K.
The Pirates of Penzance invites us (like Oscar Wilde) to chuckle at the pretentions of British social order. Perhaps the characters participate in-self deprecation without realizing. Like the most brilliant comedies there are layers. The buccaneers might have been plucked from Peter Pan, the sisters from stories of nymphs and sprites. The narcissistic Modern Major General an evocation of the stalwart and ingenious. Frederic and Mabel are smitten with each other, but we cannot imagine them in the throes of gloriously messy passion.
Three things (or more) happen when when G & S declare it’s playtime. The rituals and pageantry of grown-ups are shown up for their ridiculousness. The actors give silliness that irreplaceable “mature” spin. No one loves to romp and hop and giggle and sing and salute like adults. Like water to the thirsty. Like balloons to the despondent. Like reptiles to the bored.
Theatre 3’s production of The Pirates of Penzance is buoyant, sly, deadpan and giddy. The cast moves with poise and loft. How can we resist this ticklish, lush, high-spirited fanciful ride? The precision, the raucousness, the shameless, disingenous lilt?
I wish there had been more pirates.
Theatre 3 presents The Pirates of Penzance, playing June 13th -July 14th, 2024 (Bastille Day) 2688 LaClede Street, Suite 120, Dallas Texas 75201. 214 871-3300. theatre3dallas.com