The watchword of the Utah Shakespearean Festival production of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore is style: a campy, slightly over-the-top sense of fun that is contagious. Director-choreographer Brad Carroll has crammed this production so full of lively dancing, spirited singing, and funny bits that there's not a single letdown from start to finish. Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical barbs aimed at British class distinctions are still apparent beneath the surface, but they're treated in a tongue-in-cheek way that keeps everything light and frothy.
The story takes place aboard a navy ship, the Pinafore, on which Captain Corcoran "hardly ever" gets seasick. His young daughter, Josephine, is secretly in love with one of the seamen, Ralph Rackstraw, but she knows he is far beneath her station. Instead, she is engaged to the "tedious, fretful, and dictatorial" Sir Joseph, who has somehow been put in charge of the navy although he knows absolutely nothing about ships. Another potential romance, this one between the captain and Little Buttercup, also seems doomed to failure by class restrictions. But Buttercup has a secret that may set everything right. The fact that the solution makes no logical sense just sharpens Gilbert and Sullivan's point about the artificiality of class.
George Maxwell's jaunty blue-and-gold ship and Bill Black's colorful blue, white, pink, and yellow costumes give the show the look of a children's storybook with pop-up illustrations.
All the actors are in sync with the show's style and playfulness, and they can sing. Jane Noseworthy and Eric VanTielen are animated and attractive as the young lovers, and their voices, individually fine, blend beautifully. Mark Light-Orr's slightly stuffy and snooty Corcoran is a perfect foil for Victoria Adams-Zischke's earthy, eager-to-please Buttercup. Peter Sham is comically conniving as Dick Deadeye, the voice of doom among the sailors who ends up being right most of the time.
One of the comic payoffs of the show is watching festival founder Fred C. Adams play Sir Joseph. Adams cavorts around the stage and takes outrageous liberties with Corcoran's name, calling him everything from "cornflakes" to "corncob," "cornstalk," and "cornucopia." In the show's funniest number, he incites the audience to request three encores and runs madly about ringing larger and larger bells until he gets to a fire bell, which brings the entire crew onstage to fight the blaze.
Pinafore's chorus is outstanding. Thanks to Jeremy Mann's impeccable musical direction, their diction is crystal clear; you can understand every word of Gilbert and Sullivan's fast-moving, complicated lyrics. They've also mastered Carroll's catchy choreography and have lots of fun doing it. At one point, he has them on the floor making moves that look like water ballet. Rhett Guter is delightful as the crew's mascot, so young and green that the sleeves on his uniform are miles too long.
If you are afraid that Gilbert and Sullivan's shows are dated, this production will instantly change your mind. And it's a great show for the whole family to share together.
H.M.S. Pinafore runs in repertory June 26-Sept. 2 in the Randall Theatre at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, Utah. Tickets: (800) PLAY-TIX. Website: www.bard.org.