Word: gilbert
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...real life she’s the president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players (referred to as simply G&S by members and fans), a staple group in the theater scene here at Harvard. Although the Hasty Pudding tends to steal the spotlight in the spring, the Gilbert and Sullivan Players are one of the foremost G&S troupes in New England, dedicating themselves to cycling through the comic-operas in the Gilbert and Sullivan canon. This spring, the Players are putting on a production of “The Pirates of Penzance,” a wild...
What makes a pirate? Is it the cutlass, the distinctive tri-corner hat, or the swashbuckling disdain for authority? The pirates of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance”—which runs through May 2 at the Agassiz Theatre—share a radically different defining characteristic: profoundly patriotic monarchism. As they sing in the show, “With all our faults, we love our Queen.” Faults or no, the irresistible energy of the cast makes “The Pirates of Penzance?...
...pirates’ unorthodox love for the Queen is by no means the only paradox “The Pirates of Penzance” presents; in fact, Gilbert and Sullivan seem to have delighted in irony. The plot rests on an absurdity built into the contract of Pirate Apprentice Frederic (Benjamin J. Nelson ’11), whose nurse signed him up to serve as a pirate not for 21 years but for 21 birthdays—an unfortunate choice of terms considering that Frederic was born on February 29, which means that at age 21 he?...
Despite his situation, Frederic sings of his love for a good paradox, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players (HRG&SP) seem to share that affection. And, ultimately, it’s the way the Players handle these paradoxes with earnest delight and abundant charm that makes “The Pirates of Penzance” so irresistibly enjoyable...
...show may not charm all equally. Gilbert and Sullivan’s humor is invested in pun and wordplay, a mixture of high-brow and slapstick that may stray too far in either direction for some. The sheer length of the play means the performers are up against the task of sustaining a frenetic pace set by the vigor of Mabel and the Major-General’s introductions. Yet, the constant introduction of new characters and the performers’ unfailing energy generally meet that challenge...