Theater Review by Walter Murphy . . . .
I’ve always felt that Monty Python owes a debt of gratitude to Gilbert and Sullivan (G&S). Their sketches gleefully offer a skewed view of British society, as do the Pythons. Pompous officials; misunderstandings leading to mirth; disregard for proper English behavior; skepticism about class structure; faux surprise and over-the-top reactions; and slapstick. All these tropes create an expectation for something completely different to happen in the theater. And it did at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse this past weekend.
The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) presented a limited run of two early works of the masters of light opera: Trial by Jury and The Sorcerer. Trial by Jury was their second collaboration, a one-act operetta occasionally played with longer G&S operas, as it did during this run. Their collaboration on The Sorcerer, a two-act operetta, immediately preceded the worldwide successes of H.M.S. Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance.
NYGASP’s commitment to maintaining the legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan should be commended, given the staging of these two plays. Exhibiting great ensemble singing and dancing, the plays were well done and very entertaining if not well-known.
Trial by Jury, directed by James Mills, began the presentation and it was a hoot! The action takes place in a courtroom where a young man is sued for ignoring a marriage contract he signed. His cavalier attitude: “I’ll marry this lady to-day, And I’ll marry the other to-morrow!” is met with agreement by the judge who, so taken by the bride’s beauty, adds, “I will marry her myself!” The judge’s bonafides are previously established when he explained how he became a judge: “So I fell in love with a rich attorney’s elderly, ugly daughter.” Clearly unlike contemporary jurists. The resolution of the dispute, as suggested by the judge, is to get the plaintiff drunk. Due to objections all around, he then repeats his offer to wed the bride himself. Case closed and . . . scene.
The Sorcerer, co-directed by Albert Bergeret and David Auxier, unfortunately, followed the high-spirited, frantic courtroom scene of Trial by Jury. Given its larger cast and more plot lines, The Sorcerer needed more time and instruction to establish its premise, that love makes everything better and some people just don’t know when to leave well enough alone. Also, even the most reputable dealer of spells and potions has an off day.
In the “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” scenario, a besotted lover decides to share the joy he feels in his relationship with the unmarried people in the village. Enter the Sorcerer. He sells a potion—at a discount, he notes—so that, “Whoever drinks of it loses consciousness for that
period; and on waking falls in love, as a matter of course, with the first lady he meets who has also tasted it, and his affection is at once returned.” Again, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, in one instance, a grand dame, upon waking first sees the Sorcerer, who through verbal magic fends off her amorous advances. He lies:
“Engaged!
To a maiden fair,
With bright brown hair,
And a sweet and simple smile,
Who waits for me
By the sounding sea,
On a South Pacific isle.”
If one must tell a lie, make it a big one. As with typical G&S plots, all misunderstandings were hilariously untangled in the end. Jolly well done.
One of the many things I like about NYGASP productions, in addition to this production’s costumes, by Gail J. Wofford, is that they take liberty with the librettos to include contemporary references. Given that these plays were created around 150 years ago (1875 and 1877), they can sound fairly dated. However, the genius of G&S is that wordplay is always clever and pratfalls, slapstick, and props are always funny. So, I waited for the current name checks and was not disappointed: Subscribe Now!, RuPaul, Taylor Swift, and Team Ken all made appearances on stage. Bravo!
As with all NYGASP productions, the ensemble was in fine voice and spirit. Standout performances were the female leads in both productions—Rebecca L. Hargrove and Michelle Seipel, whose voices soared above the packed stage. Doing double duty, with two roles each, were Amy Maude Helfer and Daniel Greenwood. Cameron Smith was great as the Defendant with a liberal view of bigamy. And James Mills was The Sorcerer, who brought magic and hearty laughs to the stage.
Gilbert & Sullivan performances always pack the stage with performers. These plays were no exception. So the choreography, by David Auxier, needs to be exacting and fluid, which was the case here. Some of the evening’s biggest laughs were from the designed, whack-a-mole movements of the jury and spectators in Trial by Jury. Inspired and hilarious, but sadly, a too short run as it was so much fun.
The Sorcerer and Trial by Jury were presented April 6-7 at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse (695 Park Avenue, between East 68th and 69th Streets, entrance on East 68th) www.nygasp.org
Photos: Courtesy of the NY Gilbert and Sullivan Players
Cover Photo: The Sorcerer – Hannah Holmes, Matthew Wages
