Pinafore, Southampton Operatic Society, Nuffield Theatre
THERE are few better-loved G&S operas than HMS Pinafore.
As well as cracking individual numbers, there are terrific opportunities for entertaining ensemble pieces. Now there is also the possibility of flinging USS Pinafore forward in time several millennia and staging it in an intergalactic starship. What an Enterprise - and what a success!
David Rayner has shown great invention in adapting the libretto, retaining the lyricism of the original while adding terrific touches of sci-fi humour. Even the overture had a couple of bars of the Star Trek theme. From the moment the vibrant Barbara Rayner entered as a raunchy Buttercup - with the emphasis firmly on the first syllable! - I knew this was a production with verve and imagination. What a treat, too, to hear singers not reliant on microphones.
As head of Starfleet Academy, David Jupp was a comic tour de force, and the two lovers, played by Simon Pontin and Janet Green, sang and acted with convincing passion. Mike Pavitt's Captain Kirkoran was also a fine all-round performance, complete with the James T Kirk stare.
Wonderful comic choreography, splendid ensemble singing and fabulously futuristic costumes all added to an innovative adaptation. This captain's log recommends a star date at the Nuffield Theatre!
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