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In Review

“Penzance” the very model of a magical show

Delaware Valley Opera

Margaret Bruetsch
Posted 6/14/22

“The Pirates of Penzance” runs again this weekend on Saturday, June 18 at 7 pm and Sunday, June 19 at 2 pm. You can visit www.delawarevalleyopera.com to purchase tickets.

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In Review

“Penzance” the very model of a magical show

Delaware Valley Opera

Posted

“The Pirates of Penzance” runs again this weekend on Saturday, June 18 at 7 pm and Sunday, June 19 at 2 pm. You can visit www.delawarevalleyopera.com to purchase tickets.

I should preface this review with a note. Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” has been one of my favorite shows since I was a child. I have to thank the wonderful music teachers at my elementary school for introducing us kids all to the wide range of musical performances. I can clearly remember singing along to the music in class, and that made it such a treat to see the Delaware Valley Opera’s performance on Saturday night.

“The Pirates of Penzance, or the Slave of Duty” follows young Frederic who was apprenticed to pirates by mistake as a small child on the day he is freed from his apprenticeship. He meets the wards of the Major General, falls madly in love with Mabel, a plot twist threatens their happiness and general Gilbert & Sullivan hijinks ensue. It is a wonderfully funny show, with witty lyrics and beautiful melodies.

It was a pleasure to see Cole Tornberg return to the DVO as Frederic. I first saw Mr. Tornberg back in “The Magic Flute” (my first review of the DVO) and he brought his A-game to this performance. He and Elise Mark (Mabel) reunited with the same wonderful chemistry as they had in the “HMS Pinafore” back before the pandemic. He was spectacularly lovelorn in both “Oh, is there not one maiden breast?” and in his heart wrenching duet with Mark in the second act “Stay, Frederic, Stay”…”Ah leave me not to pine”… “Oh, here is love, and here is truth”. He plays the Gilbert & Sullivan hero so well and commands the stage during his scenes.

Elise Mark has the voice of an angel. She hits the highest notes I’ve ever heard with ease and amazes me with her performance. She pulls the audience into the show and into the character with her wonderful expressions, and her gorgeous voice. “Poor wand‘ring one” was spectacular and her camaraderie with her fellow wards was lovely.

Jonathan Stinson portrayed “he Pirate King with wonderful control – his voice is already amazing, but to hear him in “Oh, better far to live and die” and own the stage was lovely. His pirate king was comedic and his pirate crew was fantastic. They all looked like they were having so much fun swashbuckling on stage. Mary Burkart did a great job as Ruth, their maid-of-all-work, and she brings both wonderful laughs and her beautiful voice to the stage.

Director Nich­olas Wuehr­mann stole the show as the eccentric Major-General with his show-stopping performance of “I am the very model of a modern Major-General”. His tongue-twisting performance made my jaw drop, and he always brings his all to his performances. I loved his expressions and characterizations. He is just a wonderfully funny performer.

The whole cast did an absolutely fantastic job and delivered the perfect amount hilarity when they were all on stage together. The Major-Generals wards all have lovely voices and the group of actors portraying the constabulary, led by Eric Tofte, was fantastic. There are so many moving parts to a show and when a cast clicks in just the right way, it creates magic. This cast created magic.

I have to mention Dana Kluczyk who played Edith, Mabel’s sister, who has wonderful stage presence - every scene she was in, my eyes were drawn to her, and she’s also got quite the voice – I can’t wait to see more of her soon!

The DVO went above and beyond with their set – be prepared to feel as if you the audience are sitting in the sea as a pirate ship passes by and characters can hide in alcoves in a rocky cove or hide behind crumbling ruins. And I have to send a shout out to the orchestra who were absolutely fantastic!

The Delaware Valley Opera always makes their audience feel so welcome, so I also have to shout out the fact that the pirates stuck around to take pictures with children attending the show and the cast members talked with audience members on their way out. I took a dear family friend, and resident library celebrity, Irma Schilling, and the cast members went out of their way to say hello and let her share how much she enjoyed the performance with them before we left. The DVO always makes you feel like part of the family, and I cannot wait to go back.

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