Word: mabel
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Most enjoyable of all are a series of three magnificently overblown introductions that build up a cast of bombastic, magnetic supporting characters: Mabel, the Major-General, and the Sergeant of Police. Mabel (Bridget P. Haile ’11), Frederic’s love interest and daughter of Major-General Stanley, bursts onto the scene with a warbling, upper-register tour-de-force that—in addition to causing Frederic to visibly swoon—immediately captures Mabel’s simple-hearted desire to impress...
...which Nelson, either purposefully or not, imbues with a sense of weakness—but that is, perhaps, the point. Frederic—who stubbornly holds to his idea of duty even in morally complex situations—is essentially a feeble character, and only his love for Mabel begins to change that...
...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...
This latest production by the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players follows the story of Frederic (Benjamin J. Nelson ’11), a young pirate apprentice who dreams of when he can be free from his pirate trade. In the opening scenes of the play, he meets the beautiful Mabel (Bridget Haile ’11) and, after falling in love with her, promises to marry her on completing his apprenticeship. But to the distress of the fated lovers, the Pirate King (Ilan J. Caplan ’10) informs Frederic that he will be released from his adventures...
However, the catch is that since his birthday is on February 29, a leap year, this technicality forces him not only to serve his apprenticeship for another 63 years, but also to help the Pirate King force Mabel into marriage...