‘Pirates’ Magic Uptown Opera Presents Gilbert And Sullivan’s Finest Creation

Plenty of shows can claim to be enduringly popular.

But how many can claim to be hits in both the 1880s and the 1980s?

“The Pirates of Penzance” premiered in 1880 in New York and London, and was a smash hit from the beginning. Audiences loved the Major General’s fast-talking patter song, the lovely romantic melodies and the slapstick antics of the goofy pirates stumbling around the Cornwall coast. It was immediately accepted as one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s finest creations.

“Pirates” never really went out of favor, but in 1980 it was back at the center stage of popular culture. Broadway impresario Joseph Papp had the inspiration to cast pop singer Linda Ronstadt as Mabel, actor Kevin Kline as Pirate King, and rock singer Rex Smith as Frederick in a Central Park production. The result was a smash hit, which moved to Broadway and London.

And that’s how Gilbert and Sullivan earned their first Tony Award (for “best musical revival”) exactly 101 years after writing the show. Too bad they weren’t around to accept their awards: They had been dead 70 and 81 years respectively.

Starting Friday, the Uptown Opera, Spokane’s resident professional opera company, will try to extend “Pirates”-mania into Spokane in the ‘90s.

According to director Bill Graham, Uptown chose to do “Pirates” this year for two reasons. First, it was high time: Uptown has never done a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. While some opera purists look down their noses, Gilbert and Sullivan’s works have always had popular appeal to a larger audience.

Also, said Graham, “Pirates” was selected with two young singers in mind: Heather Steckler and Jessica Bowers, Whitworth College graduates who are headed off to conservatories in the fall.

“We’re trying to do for them what we did for Frank Hernandez,” said Graham. “Send them off with big roles before they head off to graduate school.”

Steckler will sing the lead role of Mabel and then venture off to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.

Bowers will sing the role of Ruth and then attend the New England Conservatory.

Uptown landed Frank Ream for the role of Frederick, the young and exuberant hero. A New York tenor well known for his appearances with the Spokane Symphony and Uptown Opera, Ream has performed with the New York City Opera, the Seattle Opera and many other opera companies around the country.

John Cooper of Seattle returns to Spokane (he is also a Whitworth grad) to sing the juicy role of the Pirate King. Cooper has performed with the Portland Opera, Tacoma Opera and many other companies in the Northwest.

Robert Newman will sing the role of the Major General, whose theme song (“I am the very model of a modern Major General”) is always a showstopper. Newman is a resident of Rupert, Idaho, an unusual place to find an operatic baritone. He sings in many productions throughout the Northwest, which include seven previous Uptown Opera productions.

The sets and costumes will be traditional - circa the 1880s, or at least what the British imagined the well-dressed pirate was wearing in the 1880s. The sets will consist of rocks representing the rocky Cornish coast where these comedy pirates land.

The 12-piece orchestra will be conducted by Randi von Ellefson.

“The Pirates of Penzance” balances themes of romance (the Major General’s daughters think the pirates look like good marriage material) with a bit of adventure and a good dose of slapstick. Yet “Pirates” is also musically ambitious, with more elements of grand opera than in some other Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

Expect to do some laughing, but also expect to hear some powerful and emotional music.

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’ The Uptown Opera will present “The Pirates of Penzance” at The Met at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 May 30 and 8 p.m. May 31. Tickets are $26, $20 and $14, with a $5 discount for students, children and seniors, available through G&B Select-a-Seat outlets, or call 325-SEAT or (800) 325-SEAT.