HomeThe Theatre SphereThe Pirates of Penzance | Harvest Rain @ QPAC | Stage Musical...

The Pirates of Penzance | Harvest Rain @ QPAC | Stage Musical Review

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While Simon Gallaher was entertaining the masses in QPAC’s Lyric Theatre as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Wicked, just across the hallway, his expertise and talent as a director was also recently being showcased in the QPAC Concert Hall. For less than one week, Queenslanders were able to enjoy a new Harvest Rain rendition of Pirates of Penzance, held to celebrate QPAC’s 30th Anniversary this year. Providing an incredibly high level of enthusiasm, genuine stage talent and a few localizations, comedic lines and crowd interactivity through fourth-wall breaking; it is hard to imagine that too many people left the two hour show disatisfied with the experience delivered. If anything, all the hand clapping would have left many with sore hands.

While I wouldn’t consider myself “new” to musical theatre, this is the first time I have ever had the opportunity to watch Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic 1880’s comedy stage musical live. While there is a lot of charm to be found in older theatrical works, thus why schools to this day still continue to teach Shakespearean theatre to students (Much to the chagrin of some), I went into the performance a tad sceptical that the comedy may show its age a bit. My concerns were quickly allayed when the introductory song, “Pour, Oh Pour, The Pirate Sherry” began unfolding on stage, with many of the subsequent songs providing both fantastic vocals and entertaining lyrics and/or dance routines. In fact, I cannot recall the last time I have chuckled so much in a theatre.

Given this musical is more than a century old, I will not spend too much time on providing my thoughts on the core storyline itself. In short, it tended to focus more on developing the characters and being entertaining than delivering a complex plot, with my only real personal qualm being the lacklustre conclusion which may not have gone down so well if it were a new musical today.

The clear star of this performance is TV personality Andrew O’Keefe, who dons a sabre as the Pirate King. Although his actions on-stage do occasionally come across as more silly than entertaining, the few misses are overthrown by many on-stage triumphs. Some well timed humour, and eccentric  / infectious personality and stunningly strong vocals see’s him stand out. While receiving very few songs himself, TV and stage performer John Wood also shines as The Major General, especially with the character’s renown song “I am the very model of a modern Major-General” which was localized to incorporate some local references and events. This one song highlighted that they hadn’t just learned classic songs and replicated them on stage, but took the time to make at least some of the more memorable songs their own.

Also making up this memorable cast are Billy Bourchier and Georgina Hopson, recent graduates of the Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium’s Musical Theatre program as the young lovers Frederic and Mabel, leaving an impression they have been performing on stage for decades and not just years. Theatre veteran Nancye Hayes AM also took to the stage as Ruth, clearly showing her experience but not seeming to receive enough stage-time to make full use of her abilities. These lead characters were supported by a strong vocals and actions of both a small cast of secondary characters and the ensemble.

While there are many classic songs such as “With Cat-Like Tread, Upon Our Prey We Steal” and “Paradox” which have been recreated/modernized on stage, with congratulations going to Robert Clark (Music Director) and Callum Mansfield (Choreographer) for their work to present these to the audience, appreciation must also go to the other team members who have clearly put a lot of effort into creating a visually immersive and impressive experience. Special mentions must to go John McIntosh (Set Designer), Graham Maclean (Costume Designer) and Andrew Meadows (Lighting Designer) for their respective roles.

Granted I may not know the behind-the-scenes logistics behind putting together a piece of musical theatre, but it was disappointing that Harvest Rain and QPAC only decided to run performances over four days. The reception from the crowd was clearly strong, and the Sunday matinee session I was in had almost booked out weeks in advance. I personally think an extra week or two could have been justified – and it would have given those on the fence more time to read reviews and make a decision on whether they should go and see the show. Therefore, this is currently a more “what you have missed” review than a “what you can see” review.

All that said, from the opening number to the very distinct and extended curtain call, Harvest Rain’s rendition of The Pirates of Penzance was an impressive and very memorable performance. In my personal opinion, it is a stage performance truly deserving of a standing ovation.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.
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