All aboard!

H.M.S. Pinafore

Directed by Ted Pappas

Pittsburgh Public Theater…

H.M.S. Pinafore

Directed by Ted Pappas

Pittsburgh Public Theater

Through March 3

(412)316-1600

What do you get when you fill a ship with Englishmen? Well, aside from a global empire or – if they strike an iceberg, a blockbuster film – you get some rollicking good fun.

The Pittsburgh Public Theater presents just this sort of entertainment with its performance of “H.M.S Pinafore,” a comedic love story by the famous team Gilbert and Sullivan. Coming two years after the Public Theater’s production of “Pirates of Penzance,” another Gilbert and Sullivan nautical comedy, this production reunites some of the “Pirates” players, including Pedro Porro as Ralph Rackstraw, Catrina Lennon as Josephine, Bill Nolte as Dick Deadeye and Myrna Paris as Little Buttercup, with the same stage.

From the moment the audience enters to find the seats at the O’Reilly Theater, they are struck by the appearance of the exquisite set, which gives the impression that a 19th century clipper ship just broke through the back wall of the stage. The ship comprises the entire set, beautifully decorated and adorned with wood planks, two curving staircases up to a second tier and a giant portrait of Queen Victoria. The show hasn’t started and already it’s impressive.

The acting does not betray these expectations, but rather, it surpasses them. Within the first seconds of the comedy, the lights rise, and the audience receives its first taste of what is to come as the rousing sea chantey, “We Sail The Ocean Blue,” raises the audience’s spirits and almost raises some from its seats with its shocking energy. At no moment in the performance should anyone be bored. Between the songs, constant movement, and colorful costumes and characters, there can be no denying that it is a stimulating sensory experience.

The story is that of a sailor in love with a girl above his station in life. His love, the captain’s daughter, is already set to marry the Admiral of the Queen’s Navy who, by the way, has never been on a boat and is old enough to be her grandfather. All of this makes for several surprising and comical twists, most of which come within the last 15 minutes of the performance, so keeping an open eye and ear is well recommended.

But don’t let the hilarious laughter and jaunty songs fool you. Behind it all lurks a commentary upon class difference and the absurdity of judging people by where they stand on the social ladder. The ludicrously pretentious and dignified Sir Joseph Porter in particular sums up all the established rules and expectations of being a member of the upper-crust gentry.

“H.M.S Pinafore” will play Downtown at the O’Reilly Theater through March 3. Tickets for the performance are available at the door or by calling (412) 316-1600 or at the Pittsburgh Public Theater Web site, www.ppt.org. Prices range from $28 to $50 but full-time students and people 26 years old and under may purchase single tickets for $10 – on Fridays and Saturdays this rate only applies to purchases at the door one hour before the performance.

-Michael Boyles, staff writer