"With cat like tread" *boom* "Upon our prey we steal" *boom* "In silence dread" *boom* "Our cautious way we feel" *boom* "No sound at all" *boom* "We never speak a word" *boom* "A fly's foot-fall would be distinctly heard."

This is why I love Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. A story full of comedy, romance, and "a paradox, a paradox, a most peculiar paradox." I knew it like the back of my hand, so my expectations were high as I walked into the theater. The curtain came up as the orchestra hit the first chord revealing four adorably dressed young women watching what seemed to be a stage, upon a stage. It was absolutely brilliant, as the audience saw the vaguely lecherous pirate king chase them around the theater as they were attempting to watch their puppet show. As the last chord of the orchestra hit, the entire theater on stage rose up to reveal a pirate ship. And the production had captured my heart already.

The costumes were dazzling -- full of bright colors and those adorable pageboy shirts. Marc Kudisch was wonderful, leaping around while singing about the perks of being the Pirate King. His voice had a nice, dark richness and suited the very suave, manly demeanor that all pirate kings must exude. Still his character was filled with charming human foibles (hmmmm...I wonder if Johnny Depp watched this). My only critique of his performance was his enunciation. Some of his words were getting swallowed, and I had trouble understanding them...plus I was sitting in row P in the orchestra. Despite this minor flaw, I fully enjoyed his energetic performance.

The next character introduced is Frederic, played by Matt Morgan. He did a nice job of portraying the character of poor Frederic, torn between his love for the pirates and his noble sense of duty to see them annihilated (hence the show's subtitle "A Slave of Duty"). His youthful earnest innocence was fully captured in his facial expressions adding to the hilarity of the scenes. His voice started off strongly and full of expression. Toward the end of Act II, however, he seemed to tire vocally. Frederic is a difficult role to produce, both physically and emotionally so I fully appreciated his effort. Sarah Jane MacMahon also did a fabulous job playing the lovable yet headstrong Mabel. She has a lovely soprano voice, filled with enthusiasm and high coloratura that the audiences loved. Then there was the character of the sweet, yet rather...old, Ruth played by Myrna Paris. She had a nice, rich voice very becoming of an older mezzo. She did a lovely job making the conversion from the sweet docile lovesick maid to a full-blooded pirate.

The chorus did a wonderful job blending in as well, adding a broad backdrop to all the soloists whether as pirates or constables. I loved all the activity that abounds in nearly every scene. It was like watching Cirque du Soleil where I didn't know where to look first, not wanting to miss a second. I also enjoyed all the references made to our modern day -- I was laughing so hard my eyes were tearing when Oscar Wilde's picture came up in association with faeries and when one of the pirates walked across the stage clapping together coconuts ala Monty Python. I refuse to ruin all the funny surprises for you, but rest assured, there are a ton! My advice: Go see the opera! The cast and the director do an amazing job bringing back this timeless piece that people of all ages will enjoy!