Horseley on Pirates: “immensely entertaining and very, very funny”

Paul Horsley’s review of The Pirates of Penzance has been posted on the Independent‘s web site:

Director Dorothy Danner is not just blessed with unflagging imagination, she is also a former Broadway dancer and choreographer. As such, this Pirates contains two solid hours of intricate, solidly conceived choreography. Soloists and choristers alike must have worked as hard on the physical comedy as they did learning their roles. Barely a second goes by when there isn’t something interesting to watch…

The leads seemed made for their roles. Nili Riemer’s silver-bell coloratura was a delight on the ear, and it allowed her to add insider “quotes” from other famous coloratura arias in Mabel’s big “Poor wand’ring one” aria, which was deftly played and limpidly sung.

Chad A. Johnson as Frederic, the apprentice pirate, possesses a solid tenor that was consistent in all its ranges. His elegant stage movements were whimsical and assured without striking that “look-at-me-I’m-the-tenor” stance. Markus Beam as the Pirate King was the “hot dog” of the show, not just looking but acting like Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, but adding to it a golden baritone. He sparkled onstage…

You can read the entire review here.

Trussell calls Pirates “irresistible”

Robert Trussell of The Kansas City Star praised our production of The Pirates of Penzance:

As Frederic, tenor Chad A. Johnson delivers a delightfully broad, physical performance, perfectly capturing the inner conflicts of a self-described “slave to duty.” Baritone Markus Beam fully invests himself in the Pirate King, the most flamboyant role in the show. Robert Gibby Brand’s performance as the Major-General is as precise as it is broad (indeed, he’s the one who will remain in your head after you leave the theater). Soprano Nili Riemer demonstrates stunning vocal pyrotechnics and a finely-tuned sense of comedy as the beautiful Mabel, with whom Frederic falls in love.

The Lyric’s … production outshines the Rep show [from a few seasons ago]. Conductor Andy Anderson elicits fine work from the orchestra.

Read his entire review here.

A Preview of Pirates