"Just a substitute for Berlioz"

What can I say about last night's performance? It was "Pirates". With probably as good a cast of operatic singers as you'll ever hear. (Whether they're the best operettic singers is a different question.) A little like using sledgehammers to smash roaches. So instead of focussing on the strong points, which were many, I'll zero in on the weak points:

• At intermission, Rubeus asked me, "Doesn't the music sound a little subdued?" Really, how could it not: Orchestrations that were meant for little regional operahouses have to fill one of larger performance spaces in Chicago. It's the same problem we have with some of the light Italian repetoire.
• If you're going to start a character out with a Cockney accent, he shouldn't suddenly lose it in the last scene without a damn good reason.
• It was cute to have the back wall slide up to reveal Queen Victoria enthroned, but she shouldn't have been left sitting there for the entire scene. Otherwise, you end up with the entire cast turning their backs to her (and, in fact, showing her their bums when it comes time to bow to the audience), which is so not comme il faut where monarchs are concerned!
• This is a secondhand peeve; a veteran Gilbertian and Sullivanian tells me that no performance seems to get it right. When the pirate says, "I can explain in two words", those two words should be "We propose". Then, after the Major-General looks confused, he should add, "...to marry your daughters." Having him do the entire line in a rush always gets a laugh ("Ha! Them pie-rates shore is lousy at countin'!"), but surely isn't what the authors intended.

Vat a country!

Would you trust these two dorks with the government of the largest country in the world?



Sorry, you don't get a say!