Gilbert and Sullivan: Timing is Everything

Guest conductor Bill Boggs, Artistic Director of Opera Columbus, is an old hand at Gilbert and Sullivan.

In this secomd week of rehearsal for The Pirates of Penzance we saw a lot of elements come together, as well as a lot of work refining rhythm and timing.

Pirates is most known for the rapid-fire “Modern Major General,” which is a good example of the complexity Gilbert and Sullivan built into their productions. Baritone Bob Orth does a masterful rendition of this song—you are in for a real treat!

But the subtlety of rhythm in both music and spoken lines is equally important for other principals and the chorus. Gilbert and Sullivan, more than other types of opera, require more equal attention to wordplay and rhythm of dialogue as to music. Maestro Bill Boggs is attuned to theses subtleties, and it is a genuine pleasure to do G&S with him again.

 

The style of this production serves both to preserve the traditional D’Oyly Carte style but also reflect elements that keep the production fresh and lively to contemporary audiences. In theater terms, it has a bit of the music hall style of British theater, and a bit of the vaudeville style that helped shape the American Musical. 

Sean Anderson (left) is an apprehensive Pirate King as Major General Bob Orth (right) assesses the situation of his giddy daughters. Indianapolis Opera resident artist Joanne Um (below) portrays one of the daughters, zooming in to speak to the General.

 

Since comedic timing (a la George Burns, Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett) is seldom taught anymore, it takes concentration for both principals and chorus members to get just the right rhythm and hit their jokes at the time. One beat different can make a huge difference in terms of effective comedy.

 

What has been most fun to see this week was the development of individual personalities among chorus members. They were under strict instructions to select individual names and develop individual personalities, along with stage business that reveals those personalities. These individuals add depth and credibility to chorus groups and help actors react believably to each other.

  

Be sure to look for a pirate accountant and a near-sighted butterfly-chasing daughter, who has named herself Hortencia (the perfect name for a Victorian version of a nerd). What a talented cast! See for yourself this Friday and Sunday!

 

Enjoy!

Bill Fabris

 

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Stage director Bill Fabris on Pirates

Hello Indianapolis!

Stage Director Bill Fabris rehearsing for the upcoming Indianapolis Opera production, The Pirates of Penzance.

My name is Bill Fabris, and I am currently in town to direct Indianapolis Opera’s production of The Pirates of Penzance. And, my blog is standing in for that of your Maestro, Jim Caraher, who is preparing for a production on the West Coast. Jim and I met several years ago in Charlottesville, VA while working for a summer festival. Thank you for remembering my work when you were looking for a director for Pirates!

We just completed our first week of rehearsal and it has been a blast! This cast is very energetic, which is entirely appropriate, not only for the tempos of Gilbert and Sullivan, but also for the level of dance and movement that I think should be in this production.

Perhaps, first, a bit of background. I started out (and still direct) musical theater. In musical theater, audiences expect drama from dance and motion as well as music and words. For some reason, those expectations have not been common for most opera productions. More often we see singers stationary on stage, which does little to support dramatic expression. (We affectionately refer to it as “park and bark.”)

Opera offers many, many opportunities to enhance the story using the same approach we use for musical theater. The result is that opera becomes more engaging and relevant to audiences of today. I love doing opera, because we have all the same opportunities we have with musical theater, except we have no amplification, great voices and a full orchestra; all the right tools to create a stupendous artistic experience. I believe this is becoming the new standard for opera.

OK, now back to Pirates. I cut my teeth on Gilbert and Sullivan way back in 1987 when I had the privilege of working with Sir John Reed, the famed Major General of England’s D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. That company’s staging was considered the standard production style for all of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works.

I admit that I was nervous about this, but I approached Sir John and asked if he would be comfortable incorporating newer stage techniques into our productions. Even though he was in his seventies, he said, “By all means! Please make it fun for the audience.”

He loved it! In our production of H.M.S. Pinafore, I had him swinging across stage on a rope for the “Bell Trio.” It was fresh for him, even after his 65 years in the business, and he supported my new approach. This is the opportunity we have today with Pirates in Indianapolis.

So, back to how fortunate you are going to be to see these energetic singers who are showing no fear when asked to dance and move in ways they may not have done so before. (Don’t tell … my secret is to never let them know how difficult it really is!) The more they move, and the more they move together, the greater their confidence. And there you have it.

Heather Buck (Mabel) and Matthew Chellis (Frederic) get to know one another better.

And our principals also deserve credit for having done a lot of work developing their characters before arriving in Indianapolis. It is a very strong cast, but if you’ve seen Pirates before, you will be surprised at the strength of the talented Heather Buck (Mabel) and Matthew Chellis (Frederic), both of whom I have worked with in the past and deeply admire. Usually these characters come across as simpletons (bubbleheads). But these two have created characters that are bright, cleaver and quick. Pirate King, Sean Anderson, not only has a great voice, but swashes and buckles with the best of them.

As I said, this is a blast and a fun time will be had by all!

 

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