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The Lyric Opera of Kansas City often likes to end its season with an upbeat "fun" production that puts its audience members in a good mood heading into summer.   This season the Lyric Opera will surely do so, as it has chosen a sure-fire feel-good opera, one of Gilbert & Sullivan's most popular comedies, The Pirates of Penzance.

Full of sight gags and verbal buffoonery, The Pirates of Penzance delights audiences of all ages.  Why else would it be a favorite of high school music departments as well as "grand opera" companies across two continents? There is more to Pirates than meets the eye, however, and the Lyric Opera's production team, starting with famed stage director Dottie Danner, will serve the most sophisticated observers as well as those who just like to sit back and laugh.

The very topic of the operetta is a legal joke, which shouldn't be surprising to anybody familiar with the career of William Schenk Gilbert, who was a lawyer before he became an author of comedies.  The pair's previous opera, H.M.S. Pinafore, was such a hit that it quickly traveled across the Atlantic and was produced in pirated editions more than 20 companies in New York City alone.  None of these had any authorization from the creators, and in those days before international copyright treaties, the piece had no legal protection whatsoever.  As a result, Gilbert and Sullivan and their financial backers lost millions in potential royalties.

The composer and librettist, along with their managers, planned a two-prong attack.  First, they would take their own performance forces to America, armed with a genuine copy of the opera's libretto and score, and mount an authentic production of Pinafore.  Second, they would put on an entirely new G&S work in America, in order to capitalize upon their popularity there.

The strategy worked like a charm.  The genuine Pinafore was far more charming than the haphazard "stolen" productions, and the English company quickly began reaping the rewards of the Pinafore success.  Second, the new production they debuted in America (it was simultaneously debuted in England as well, also for reasons of copyright protection) was a sensational hit.

What was the topic of the new opera? - why, pirates, of course. In a tongue-in-cheek reference to the piracy that accompanied the unauthorized productions of Pinafore.  And thus The Pirates of Penzance was born.

More than this, however, Pirates continued and even refined the G&S technique of poking gentle fun at the pretensions and foibles of Victorian England.  As with Pinafore, its principal character is a pompous buffoon, in this case Major General Stanley, who boasts in his introductory patter song ("I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General") of his keen understanding of matters that are totally irrelevant to his post.   The Pirate King, by contrast, even though sinister in a non-frightening sort of way, at least came by his position by hard work and determination.  "Frederic," he says to his young apprentice, "I don't think much of our profession, but contrasted with respectability, it is comparatively honest."

Even the noble institution of the London bobby comes under the satirical fire of Gilbert's parody, as the policemen, led by their charmingly incompetent Sergeant of the Police, show more sympathy for Her Majesty's criminals than her law abiding citizens, and end up losing ignominiously to the pirates in the "battle" that is the climax of the opera.

What did Queen Victoria think of all of this?  According to reports, she took it all in great fun, even stealing away under cover of disguise to enjoy G&S operettas from the vantage point of a darkened box seat at the Savoy Theatre in London.

In order to carry off a performance of Pirates well, a modern opera company needs to have an understanding director and a lively cast that can make the characters come alive.  For the Lyric Opera production, artistic director Ward Holmquist has chosen one of today's leading directors of comic operas, Dorothy ("Dottie") Danner.  She has directed this piece many times and has a clear understanding of both the lightness and depth of the comedy.  Major General Stanley will be portrayed by venerable Kansas City baritone Robert Gibby Brand, who has proven so marvelous at these kinds of roles in past years; his portrayal should be a treat.

For the younger characters in the cast, Holmquist has played to type and selected a series of talented young singers who have already established formidable reputations.  Baritone Markus Beam, a graduate of the young artists programs of the San Francisco, Santa Fe and Glimmerglass operas and a graduate of Philadelphia's prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, plays the Pirate King.  The young lovers Frederic and Mabel will be portrayed by tenor Chad Johnson, a winner of several opera competitions and already a veteran of the Tanglewood, Connecticut, San Diego, Sarasota and Glimmerglass operas, and soprano Nili Riemer, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music who has won acclaim in major roles at the Minnesota Opera.

Ruth, the young Frederic's longtime nurse who has designs on his affections (her love has been accumulating for 47 years, we are told), is portrayed by mezzo Jennifer Roderer, who typically plays more dramatic roles such as Amneris in Aida, Fricka in Die Walkure, and Mrs. Grove in The Turn of the Screw, which she performed with the Lyric Opera in 2005.

The Sergeant of the Police will be sung by a Kansas City favorite, bass John Stephens of the University of Kansas opera faculty.  His wide variety of roles includes several other G&S characters, including the title role in The Mikado, which he sang with the Lyric Opera in 2001.

Andy Anderson, the former artistic assistant with the Lyric Opera (and artistic director of the Civic Opera Theatre of Kansas City), returns to Kansas City from his new post as artistic director of the Mobile (Ala.) Opera to conduct Pirates.  His podium technique and organization are impressive and it will be a pleasure to see him again in the Lyric Opera orchestra pit.

The Pirates of Penzance should be a delightful evening for both the veteran operagoer and the novice. Enjoy it on any level you like - Victorian satire or joke-filled buffoonery - but be sure to enjoy.


The Lyric Opera of Kansas City
The Pirates of Penzance
by Gilbert and Sullivan
Saturday, April 25 at 8 p.m.
Monday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 1 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m.
Lyric Theater, 11th & Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-7344 or online at www.kcopera.org

By Don Dagenais

City Classics Music and Dance Columnist; Classical Contributor

A lifelong classical music fan, Don Dagenais is a frequent preview speaker for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and has taught classical music and opera courses at several Kansas City venues. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of performing arts organizations including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Lyric Opera Guild, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Opera Volunteers International, the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, Octarium, and the Friends of the Symphony.  He has been the past president of most of these organizations and is current the president of the Friends of the Symphony. 

Dagenais co-authored a history of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary (2007) and has written books on the histories of both the Lyric Opera Guild and Opera Volunteers International, as well as an introductory book for opera novices (Your Passport to the Opera).  He has received several local and national awards for outstanding volunteer work for the arts, including a lifetime achievement award from The Coterie Theatre in 2000, the Kansas City Musical Club's annual award in 2001, a Partners in Excellence Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2002, a Bravo Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2004 and a community service award from the Daughter of the American Revolution in 2008 honoring him for his community service to the arts.

In addition to his music interests, Don is president of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Ensemble Theater and has served on the boards of The Coterie Theatre and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, serving as president of each organization.  He publishes newsletters for seven arts organizations.  When not involved in the performing arts, Don is a senior real estate attorney with Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, where he has practiced law since 1976 after graduating from the Cornell Law School.

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