Uptown Opera’s ‘Pirates’ Outstanding

“The Pirates of Penzance,” Uptown Opera, Saturday, May 25, The Met

The quality of Uptown Opera never ceases to astonish.

Not only are the voices a joy throughout, but the rest of the production - the choreography, the costumes, the orchestra - is completely professional. Not that we should expect anything less, but let’s face it, opera can generally thrive in only the largest markets, and I don’t think anyone has confused Spokane with Milan lately.

Yet this funny, bright engaging production of “Pirates of Penzance” is comic opera at its most enjoyable.

This is Uptown Opera’s first foray into Gilbert and Sullivan. The intimate confines of The Met prove to be perfect: small enough to catch the comic facial expressions of the Keystone-like cops, yet big enough to get the full glory of the voices and the orchestra. I’ve seen Gilbert and Sullivan only in larger spaces and grander productions before, and frankly, I preferred this.

Director Bill Graham played all of the right notes in his staging. This production is full of clever touches, such as having the constables bumble onto the stage through a trap door. Graham orders up some nice visual images, too, such as having the giggling young orphans gather around the Major General in their pure white nighties. They look like a field full of daisies.

Janet Wilder’s choreography is always whimsical and funny, especially with the marching constables. She also manages to make the pirates look menacing and lovable at the same time.

The vocal star of the show is Heather Steckler, a recent Whitworth College graduate who sings the role of Mabel in crystalline voice. Her “Poor Wandering One” is exquisite, and she proves beyond a doubt that she can hit and hold the high notes. And besides that, she has the looks and acting talent to keep our eyes riveted on her even when she is not singing.

Jessica Bowers, another recent Whitworth grad, is also fine as Ruth, the nursemaid. This character is an object of fun most of the time, and Bowers is playful in her portrayal.

The three male leads are all well-cast and powerful of voice. Frank Ream is full of innocent boyish charm as Frederick. John Cooper is all buccaneering bravado as the Pirate King, leaping from rocks, brandishing his cutlass. And Robert Newman, as a kindly, goateed version of the Major General, makes quick comic work of the famous patter song, “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.”

The ensemble players - the various pirates, bobbies and orphans - all do a fine job with their bits of comic business and chorus-singing.

Conductor Randi Von Ellefson coaxed a big sound out of the 12-piece orchestra, yet always with sensitivity toward the singers.

And finally, there’s the wit of W.S. Gilbert to savor. Listen to the words and admire the slyness, the satire and the literate humor. No wonder “Pirates of Penzance” has been a hit for 116 years now.

, DataTimes MEMO: “The Pirates of Penzance” continues at The Met at 7:30 p.m. today and Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $26, $20 and $14, with a $5 discount for students, children and seniors; call 325-SEAT.