LOoP’s Iolanthe – Nonsense Done Right

Rebecca Stuhlbarg, Sheryl Wood, Jan Rosenthal, Samantha Hughes, and Sarah Ominski

By Tina Arth

If you’re going to ask an audience to sit for 2 ½ hours in an older theater without air conditioning on a genuine Hot August Night, it’s a good idea to offer free bottled water, ice cream sundaes at the end, and top-flight entertainment. Light Opera of Portland (LOoP): Water? Check. Ice cream? Definite double check. Top-flight entertainment? Amazing triple check – this production of Iolanthe is a must-see for local audiences with a passion for Gilbert and Sullivan’s wryly absurd musicals.

Artistic Director Dennis Britten and Musical Director Linda Smith have teamed up to once again mold a talented cast into a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts. The cast is loaded with strong vocalists, some new and many of them veterans of previous LOoP productions.  The ensemble work is powerful, intricate, and often quite beautiful – but most important, it’s just plain fun. A show selling its underlying themes (satirizing the absurdity of both political and sexual norms, in some ways as appropriate today as when written) through an utterly nonsensical premise can easily turn into slapstick unless the cast and production team take an unwaveringly serious and professional approach – and LOoP cannot be faulted on this count.

Utterly nonsensical? Try this: Iolanthe is a fairy, banished from fairyland for marrying a mortal. Some 25 years later, the Queen of the Fairies relents, and allows Iolanthe to return from exile. Everyone is shocked to learn that Iolanthe was pregnant when banished, and now has a 24 year-old son – a half-human, half-fairy Arcadian shepherd named Strephon. Strephon is engaged to the fair Phyllis, an Arcadian shepherdess who is also, remarkably, a ward of the British chancery (the geographic gap between Greece and Great Britain being conveniently overlooked). Phyllis is not yet of age, and needs the permission of The Lord Chancellor to marry – but all of the members of the House of Peers are infatuated with Phyllis (including the Lord Chancellor).  Phyllis, who does not know about Strephon’s hybrid genealogy, believes her beau has cheated on her when she sees him embracing a young, beautiful woman (his mother Iolanthe, who looks 17 because she is a fairy and does not age quite like the rest of us). All this, and we’re barely half way through Act I! 

The story ostensibly revolves around Phyllis and Strephon, ably portrayed by Lindsey Lefler and Laurence Cox. Lefler shifts from wide-eyed innocent to determined lover, seasoned with bouts of petulance – all expressed through flashing eyes, a melting smile, and her pitch-perfect soprano delivery. Cox brings a solid voice to the role, while capturing the contradictions inherent in his fairy/human background – a slightly androgynous affect consistent with being fairy on the top half, human on the bottom, and “extremely pretty, but inclined to be stout.” However, many of the show’s most charming touches come from other characters – on team fairy, particularly Sarah Ominski’s politically astute and mischievous “Leila,” Jan Rosenthal’s bumbling “Fleta” (watch for her shoes!), and Sheryl Wood’s mercurial “Queen of the Fairies.” Gilbert and Sullivan wrote the peers as stuffed shirts utterly bereft of any redeeming social value, but the tradeoff is that they get most of the really funny lines – Rob Patrick (“The Lord Chancellor”), Mark Flannery (“Earl of Mountararat”) and Dennis Kelly (“Earl of Tolloller”) are hilarious in a couple of debates about their relative suitability as Phyllis’ mates. Additionally, Kelly’s surprisingly powerful voice firmly anchors the male vocal ensemble.

The show is done with just two sets – a pleasant woodland scene for Act I, the London skyline for Act II – so no time is lost to scene changes. Woody Woodbury’s guardhouse is particularly detailed, and subtly (perhaps inadvertently) captures a timelessness consistent with the show’s comic surrealism. Costume designer Sandra King has done well by both fairies and peers, although perhaps the male ensemble would appreciate fewer layers of tuxedo and ermine on hot nights! Finally, pianist Linda Smith’s musical direction is flawless. With just piano, flute, occasional trumpet, and vocals she more than satisfies the complex demands of light opera.

The Alpenrose Dairy Opera House has fine acoustics and ample space to accommodate the audiences that this show deserves. With only a two-week run, don’t delay – this offering may not appear on a Portland stage again for a long, long time!

LOoP presents Iolanthe through Sunday, August 28^th with performances at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday and 3:30 on Sunday at Alpenrose Dairy Opera House, 6149 SW Shattuck Road, Portland.

A VERY Funny Thing Happening at Deb Fennell Auditorium

By Tina Arth

Apparently, the movers and shakers at Broadway Rose have a seer (perhaps Pseudolus?) – how else to explain their prescience when, in spring of 2015, they selected the unabashedly silly, utterly diverting comedy A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum to lighten up our mood during this bizarre political season?  Sometimes a hefty dose of slapstick is just what the doctor ordered, and for 2+ hours last Friday, I (along with hundreds of other happy folks) was transported into a world of music, dance, and comedy where absolutely anything goes, as long as it’s fun. 

The show was crafted by a thoroughbred team – book by comic writers Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, music and lyrics by the matchless Stephen Sondheim.  Forum made its Broadway debut in 1962, winning Emmy Awards for Best Musical and Best Author (Musical), and its literally timeless structure means that in good hands it needs never become dated. Luckily for local theatergoers, this production is in very, very good hands. Director Abe Reybold’s cast, a mixture of top-notch Broadway Rose veterans and new blood, brings a wealth of experience as well as copious youthful exuberance to the stage, and the result is utterly flawless farce.

The story (a play within a play) is set in Ancient Rome, presented by a troupe of actors who alternate nightly between works of comedy and tragedy. The song you can’t get out of your head, “Comedy Tonight,” tells us which genre we’ll be seeing this evening.  Action takes place on a street with three stately homes. The center house is that of respectable but hen-pecked Senex, his overbearing wife Domina, and son Hero. His neighbors are Lycus, a high-class pimp, and Erroneous, a bereaved and befuddled old man off seeking his long-lost children (stolen in infancy by pirates, of course). Domina is determined to preserve Hero from temptations of the flesh, but he espies the fair virgin Philia on a balcony at the House of Lycus and is immediately smitten. In exchange for a promise of freedom, Hero’s slave Pseudolus plots to bring the two young lovers together – not an easy task, since Lycus has already sold Philia to the blustery General Miles Gloriosus. Things get even more complicated, and the ultimate resolution rests (as it must in a good farce) on a series of thoroughly implausible events leading to the promised happy ending.

Broadway Rose General Manager Dan Murphy tackles the tough role (how do you follow Nathan Lane and Zero Mostel?) of the canny and freedom-loving Pseudolus with ease. His uninhibited, energetic embrace of the character drives the entire show, and gives him ample opportunity to display his chops as a vocalist and a physical comic. When Murphy’s huge smile lights up the stage the whole audience starts pulling for Team Pseudolus. Joe Thiessen delivers some great moments as Hysterium, Pseudolus’ unwilling and tightly wound co-conspirator –the point where he starts to believe his own shtick in “I’m Lovely” is unforgettable.

Ethan Crystal (Hero) and Kaitlyn Sage (Philia) are perfectly matched as comic book one-dimensional ingénues, gracing Sondheim’s love song parodies “Love I Hear” and “That’ll Show Him” with their flawlessly pure tenor and soprano tones.  In addition, there is no shortage of memorable individual performances among the other thirteen cast members, not to mention stunning ensemble work in numbers like “Comedy Tonight” and the wittiest song in the show, “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid.”

Costume supervisor Brynne Oster-Bainsson decorates the set with her elaborate and (especially for the courtesans) imaginative designs, a fine complement to the Sean O’Skea’s colorful, witty and elaborate scenic design. The two combine their skills to create and populate a tiny Roman Toontown that could have come straight from the streets of Disneyland.

Already bored with the Olympics? Fed up with presidential politics? Do yourself a big favor and allow Broadway Rose to temporarily transport you to a singing, dancing world of harmless horseplay with something for everyone, where everything is both funny and fun. You deserve a comedy tonight!

Broadway Rose’s A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum runs through August 21st at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium.

MR. MARMALADE – Just When You Thought It Was Safe…

Scott Walker  as Mr. Marmalade and Jayne Furlong as Lucy

By Tina Arth

An almost empty stage, with white drapery along the walls and covering a few pieces of furniture, creates a dreamlike setting for Twilight Theater Company’s current offering, Mr. Marmalade.  The next two hours deliver an amazing combination of satire, horror, comedy, surrealism, fantasy, violence - even love. Playwright Noah Haidle’s 2004 work about the harsh realities and vivid fantasies of a disturbed four-year-old girl delivers a thought-provoking take on the world as it might look if unfiltered by the loving support of responsible adults. Director Jo Strom Lane has attracted a solid cast and given them the guidance they need to fully realize the potential of an odd, but compelling, script.

The show revolves around two very screwed up kids. There’s young Lucy, who is being raised by Sookie, her emotionally, and frequently physically, unavailable mom. Additional minimal supervision is provided by a hormone-riddled babysitter Emily, who spends more time in the bedroom with her boyfriend George than she does with Lucy. Lucy’s world revolves around her real babysitter (the television) and a couple of quite corporeal imaginary friends, Mr. Marmalade and his long-suffering assistant, Bradley. Conflict arises in Lucy’s world when she makes an actual friend, five-year-old Larry, who proudly proclaims that he is the youngest child in New Jersey to attempt suicide. Mr. Marmalade, who seems like a fifties’ sitcom dad at first, is unwilling to share Lucy’s attentions with a real friend. As the show progresses it is clear that Mr. Marmalade is not filling the role of an absentee father, but rather a warped love interest. Lucy’s reality has been shaped by Law and Order style dramas and sitcoms about dysfunctional families (the theme songs and emblematic recliner from Married With Children and All In the Family ensure that the audience will catch this point). Mr. Marmalade makes the transition from a Ward Cleaver to an Al Bundy, and after an unfortunate incident with Larry’s (much more benign) imaginary friends, Lucy sends her young friend away, choosing to inhabit Mr. Marmalade’s bizarre imaginary world filled with violence, cocaine, and pornography.  Trust me – it’s a lot more fun than it sounds, and some truly cringe-worthy moments are leavened by really funny physical comedy and the pleasure of watching a group of extraordinary actors ply their craft.

Jayne Furlong is hilarious, touching, and sometimes maddening as the tutu-clad Lucy. It’s not easy for an adult to play a four-year-old, especially a precocious one like Lucy who shifts without notice in and out of her fantasy world. Furlong pulls off the voice, diction, clumsiness, and pathos so consistently that we easily forget that she is not a tot.  Jay Dressler (“Larry”) is her perfect counterpart – serious, lonely, intense, but somehow still only five. The biggest casting coup may be Scott Walker (“Mr. Marmalade”) – he is old enough to be paternal, attractive enough to justify Lucy’s love fantasies, and makes a smooth transition from buttoned down busy executive to a coke-snorting low-life whose “wife-beater” undershirt accurately reflects the abusive side that fully emerges as the play develops.

Special notice is due to costume designer Amanda Ryan, particularly for the thoroughly childish apparel that helps us define Furlong’s character and provides light notes to brighten a frequently dark script.

Director Jo Strom Lane is continuing Twilight’s recent trend toward challenging, thought-provoking theater that entertains in the moment but lurks in the mind long after the stage goes dark. Mr. Marmalade is not standard fare for local theaters, so theater lovers who miss this production may be permanently out of luck. Because of mature themes and language, the show is not appropriate for younger audiences.

Twilight Theater Company’s Mr. Marmalade is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland through Saturday, August 6th with performances at 8 P.M. Friday and Saturday. There will also be an 8:00 performance on Thursday, August 4^th, and a matinee at 3 P.M. on Sunday, July 31^st.

HART’s “Page to Stage” Comes of Age with Continuing Education

Christie Quinn ("Layla Bainer"), Kaitlynn Baugh ("Megan Horne"), and Kathleen Silloway ("Rose Hawthorne")

By Tina Arth

Hillsboro Artists Regional Theatre (HART) not only gives local actors a chance to perform, it also offers the unique opportunity for local playwrights to see full productions of their original works. From the entries in last October’s “Page to Stage” competition, HART selected Continuing Education for this summer’s play, and there was no doubt in the minds of the opening weekend audiences that they made the right choice. Author Sharon Gavin’s work is brought to life by novice director Carl Dahlquist and informed by the mad skills of a cast that (collectively) brings perhaps 100 years of acting experience. It is smartly written and loaded with unexpected laughs; although absurd, the internal logic is sound – overall, it is a sheer delight.

Imagine sixty-something Rose Hawthorne delaying her college graduation for four decades, because her grandfather willed the family’s Victorian mansion to the college with the condition that she could live in the home until she graduates. Even taking only one class per semester, she is running out of courses to take – and the college trustees are scheming to drive her out by turning her home into a dorm for non-traditional female students. Two roommates arrive – five-time divorcee Layla Bayner and Megan Horne, a young woman using her GI Bill benefits after a ten-year career in the Marine Corps.  Add Rose’s lover (and college president) Skip Graham, Layla’s first husband David (now teaching Layla’s Freshman English class), and Megan’s lab partner Paul, a senior who cannot bring himself to dissect a cat for a required anatomy class. Finally, there is the dreaded Professor Appleberry teaching “Shakespeare in the Modern World” and holding the key to Rose’s future - she must fail his class or she’ll be forced to graduate.

Kathleen Silloway is marvelous as Rose – tall, elegant and thoroughly believable as a woman with a caustic shell that covers her fundamental insecurity. Christie Quinn (as serially monogamous Layla) is her perfect counterpart – a relaxed, outgoing and confident woman of the world compared to sheltered introvert Rose. Kaitlynn Baugh’s portrayal of “Megan” is, perhaps, overly charming – she delivers her uptight character’s lines a little too gently, just missing the clipped cadence and rigid posture of a career Marine.  Continuing Education is primarily a woman’s show, and the men (while uniformly skillful) serve primarily as adjuncts and straight men to the ladies’ laugh lines. Chuck Weed (“Professor Appleberry”) is the exception, even though he has the smallest role in the show. In response to Rose’s innovative Richard III thesis (which must be seen to be believed), Weed spews a hysterical narrative that is a marvel of comic timing and precise delivery.

HART has pulled out all of the stops for the set, and the lush furniture and gleaming “hardwood” floor effectively create the ambience of Victorian luxury that binds Rose to her home (and holds her in the past). The lighting design by Ray Hale, Carl Dahlquist and Brian Ollom is simple but effective, and the more elaborate effects during the Richard III bit really enhance the unusual nature of the play-within-a-play.

Opening weekend attendance was good, but Continuing Education is a comedy that deserves full houses. Page to Stage truly has come of age, and audiences should treat this as an opportunity to watch the premier of a really funny show!

Continuing Education is playing at the HART Theatre, 185 SE Washington, Hillsboro through July 24th, with performances at 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 on Sundays. 

All The World’s a Stage for B&B’s Coriolanus

Cassie Greer at Coriolanus. Photo by Casey Campbell.

By Tina Arth

Up until recently, my only exposure to Coriolanus was its place at the end of a funny line in “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” Despite some unanticipated rain that transformed “theater on the plaza” into “theater on the concrete floor of a nearly empty bank building,” the dauntless Bag & Baggage troupe brought enlightenment to Hillsboro area theater lovers with the opening weekend of their annual summer Shakespeare offering. In any previous year, precipitation would have spelled disaster, but the company’s serendipitous migration into their own space meant the show could go on – and B&B made the most of the challenge.

Coriolanus’ contemporary obscurity is understandable – it was one of Shakespeare’s later plays, and there is no record of it being performed in his lifetime. It is an explicitly political work, and was adapted several times through the ensuing centuries, with each adaptor imposing his particular political perspective. Thus, it has appeared as an apology for oppressive tyrants (and critique of the unwashed masses) as well as an attack on the hubris of the wealthy and powerful (and defense of the common man). Given the issues in current headlines, the play is remarkably relevant, and director Scott Palmer and his cast definitely trend toward the more peaceful and populist interpretations.  Choosing (as he did a few years ago with Julius Caesar) to use an all-female cast amplifies the divide; there is something about strong women playing male warriors that intensifies the absurdity of a world where might is presumed to make right.

It is impossible to ignore the Trump/Sanders analogy as wealthy, contemptuous General Caius Marcus starves the Roman populace to feed his armies, while Tribunes/social justice warriors Brutus and Sicinius lead the populace in protests against the brilliant but arrogant general. Marcus defeats the dreaded Volscian army, and is awarded the title Coriolanus in honor of his victory. Attempts to elevate Coriolanus to the position of Roman Consul are thwarted by (depending on your perspective) an ungrateful rabble or the noble common man. Banished from the city, Coriolanus responds by betraying his homeland and joining forces with Aufidius, leader of the Volscian forces. Coriolanus’ mother, wife, and another Roman lady plead with him to spare the city, and his response leads to the play’s final tragedy.

Cassie Greer is utterly fierce as the seemingly indomitable Coriolanus, radiating the character’s strength, confidence, and complete ignorance of political realities. Bethany Mason (as Volscian leader Aufidius) rivals Greer’s ferocity, but brings a subtle and deceptive craftiness that makes her a joy to watch. Of the three women playing female roles, I was particularly taken with Lindsay Partain (Coriolanus’ wife Virgilia); the gentle grief in her expressive face draws attention time and again to the human cost of men playing at war.

Coriolanus’ relevance to today’s world is facilitated by the absence of sets that would tie it to a particular time and place, as well as by costuming decisions that include a curiously effective mix of contemporary and ancient garb. The choice to dress Coriolanus’ mother Volumnia (MaryAnne Glazebrook) in clothes appropriate to a 1960s Junior Leaguer is especially evocative, summoning up the vision of a generation of American women thoughtlessly sending their sons off to Vietnam. The addition of sporadic and ominous drumming ensures that the audience pays close heed to key moments in the show. Both the drums and the dialogue are pitched at a level appropriate to outdoor theater, sometimes a bit overwhelming for the opening weekend crowds, but balance should be restored when the show moves to Civic Center Plaza for the rest of the run.

Bag & Baggage’s production of Coriolanus runs through July 23, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Barring further rain, all performances will be held at the Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza, 150 E. Main Street, Hillsboro.

West Side Story – Something’s Coming, Something Good

By Tina Arth

When Broadway Rose produces one of my all-time favorite musicals, of course I expect to enjoy it, so it was no surprise to me that I loved the opening night performance of West Side Story. However, I was caught off-guard by the sheer beauty of this production, which left me (and many other people) in tears at the final curtain as I joined the audience’s enthusiastic standing ovation.  Of course, the show has a flawless pedigree: concept and choreography by Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim – all with a bloodline that traces directly to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

It makes no sense to me to call West Side Story “dated.” The slang, clothing, attitudes and ambience are very much tied to the immigrant gang culture of New York City in the early 1950s, and the story is told through the xenophobic lens of the era (not so different from our own?). Like their Shakespearean predecessors, Tony and Maria are star-crossed lovers, determined to wed despite the ferocious social pressures of their families and peers; like Romeo and Juliet, they consummate their love but come to a tragic end. West Side Story is not the first Broadway musical to use love’s blindness to illustrate the deeply rooted racism within American culture (notably, think 1949’s South Pacific) but, unlike its theatrical predecessors, it builds the entire story around this theme, and puts its focus on the irony of our newest immigrants being demonized by those who arrived only one generation earlier.

The challenge of doing justice to a show with such a powerful story and distinguished lineage is intensified by the need for young performers, as all but a few characters are in their late teens.  However, Director Peggy Taphorn, Music Director Alan D. Lytle, and Choreographer Jacob Toth) and their cast are more than up to the task. The choreography has a few surprises, especially the male ensemble. In place of “America’s Got Talent” style dance crew synchronicity, these Jets and Sharks are distinguished by an athleticism and raw energy that eloquently tells the story of their adolescent frustration. Houston import Austin Arizpe (“Bernardo”) provides the focal point for the show’s anger and angst; a world of hurt that he cannot express in words explodes from his leaping, high-kicking performance. Another dance surprise is the exquisite ballet sequence by Mia Pinero (“Maria”) – instead of relying on an outside ballerina, she does her own exquisite dancing and leaves the “Somewhere” vocal to an amazing off-stage vocalist (Amber Kiara Mitchell).

While the dance is engaging and evocative, it’s the overwhelming solo and ensemble vocals that move this West Side to the highest level. Mia Pinero and Andrew Wade (“Tony”) move seamlessly through some of the most beautiful love songs ever written, and their duets are spine tingling. Pinero perfectly captures Maria’s otherworldly innocence, and Wade is utterly believable as her partner in a world inhabited only by the two lovers. Kayla Dixon (“Anita”) is a stunning spitfire, a fine dancer, and a spectacular singer – her work with Beknar Bermudez (“Rosalia”) and the rest of the Sharks’ girls in “America” is sharply humorous – a treat for the eyes and the ears, and as good a rendition of this number as I have seen.  

The uniform strength of the cast means that it’s difficult to select other individual performances, with one exception. The adults in West Side Story are mostly one-dimensional and tend to be played that way, but Mark Pierce (“Doc”) brings some real depth to his character, especially in Act II. His “Doc” is sensitive, fair, and loving, and his anguish at being unable to change the world around him shines through.

In case I’ve been too subtle – this show is remarkable, powerful, beautiful, moving, and definitely worth a few hours out of the life of anyone with even a hint of appreciation for musical theater. Don’t delay buying tickets – many performances are already almost sold out, and those who wait will miss out on something spectacular.

Broadway Rose’s West Side Story runs through July 24th at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium.

HMS Pinafore Sets Sail in Multnomah Village!

Dennis Britten (Sir Joseph), Lindsey Lefler (Josephine), and Ron Swingen (Captain Corcoran)

By Tina Arth

Judging from the size and responsiveness of the opening night audience, it appears that the gentle folk of Southwest Portland are eager to welcome light opera into their community. 138 years after the show’s London debut, the Light Opera of Portland (LOoP) is having way too much fun with Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore at the Multnomah Arts Center. Working with a very diverse group of performers, artistic director Dennis Britten and musical director Linda Smith have crafted a terribly funny show with a genuinely impressive vocal ensemble and a few fine solo vocalists.

For those unfamiliar with the genre, a quick and dirty definition of “light opera” might be “a short, amusing opera with a happy ending and in which some of the text is spoken” (thanks, thefreedictionary.com). For those unfamiliar with Pinafore, it is (like most of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan) not only a fine example of the art form, but offers thoroughly engaging relevance as a work of social criticism parodying the least attractive elements of traditional British society. So soon after Orlando, who would not warm to a show revolving around the theme that we love who we love, and social conventions and class distinctions are irrelevant in matters of the heart?

In addition to his contributions as artistic director, Dennis Britten fills a key role, playing The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., (First Lord of the Admiralty) – the title alone tells us all we need to know about the character’s pretentiousness and utter self-absorption. Britten swaggers and condescends with the supercilious, over-the-top bluster expected of a 19th century upper-class Englishman, and his affect sets the tone for the entire production. Phyllis Fort (“Little Buttercup”) is his complete opposite – an aging trollop from the wrong side of the pier with a heart of gold encased in a slightly tarnished, but still lusty, shell. These two theatrical veterans anchor the show with their comic timing and commanding presence, and their voices are well suited to the droll demands of their roles.

The shining star of this production is Lindsay Lefler, playing the Captain’s daughter Josephine. Her beautiful, fully trained voice is ideal for the part, and seems to flutter out of her with no visible effort at all. She has the wide eyes and cutely mobile face necessary for a comic ingénue, and understands that in Gilbert and Sullivan, even the loftiest aria must be delivered with a light touch - nothing softens the impact of a ringing soprano like a touch of self-parody.

Among the rest of the cast, two men particularly shine. Jacob Mott (“Dick Deadeye”) is satisfyingly ominous, and imbues his performance with over-the-top melodrama that keeps the audience laughing. Tom Hamann (“Bill Bobstay”) projects the manly virtue so lovingly parodied in “A British Tar” – and his vocal turn in this number is equally memorable.

Vocal Director Alice Smith has really polished the men’s and women’s choruses, turning a lot of serviceable voices and a few really excellent ones into a powerful ensemble with frequent flashes of surprising beauty. With the occasional help of flutist Aurea Taylor, Smith also provides the entire “orchestra” with her gifted work at the piano.

Sue Woodbury’s costumes are elaborate and often authentic – lovely period gowns and hats for the sisters, cousins, and aunts, an elaborate uniform for the Lord Admiral, and simple stripes togging the lowly seamen. Joe Rosenthal’s detailed set establishes the shipboard locale and provides ample levels for all of the show’s activity.

I hope that LOoP will continue to shine the light of light opera on the stages of Southwest Portland with productions of this quality. It’s fun, lively, thoroughly entertaining, and done much too rarely.  Go, see it, and tell your friends!

Light Opera of Portland’s HMS Pinafore plays at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Highway, Portland through Sunday, June 26th, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 3 pm.