You’d be hard pressed to find a troupe more dedicated to the works of librettist William S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan than Lamplighters Music Theatre, which has been performing the duo’s comic operas in the Bay Area since 1952. Who better to create a musical revue celebrating the partnership of Gilbert and Sullivan?
First performed in 1998, “A Song to Sing, O!” now closes the company’s 64th season with a short run that continues in Walnut Creek and Atherton. Written and directed by artistic director emeritus Barbara Heroux, the show consists of a generous sampling of selections from the pair’s comic operas, tied together with very short scenes putting each collaboration in context. Sometimes this takes the form of tidbits about the idea for the operetta in question, and more often, it’s more generally about the progress of Gilbert and Sullivan’s career and partnership.
The narrative begins with the pair enjoying reading complimentary reviews of “Trial by Jury” in 1875. We hear nothing at all about the artists’ lives previous to their partnership, nor even how it began. It’s a musical revue, not a biographical play, and we’re given just enough context to move things along. Sometimes we hear, in broad strokes, what a particular Gilbert and Sullivan show is about, and sometimes we don’t.
Most of the text is taken from letters, diaries and other primary source material. The modest set consists of two small corners of elegantly appointed rooms on the far ends of the stage. Here Gilbert (sardonically curmudgeonly Charles Martin) and Sullivan (mild-mannered Jonathan Spencer) sit as they exchange compliments, ideas and frustrations from afar. Robby Stafford occasionally intervenes as amiable and ambitious producer Richard D’Oyly Carte.
In the center of the stage sits a small salon orchestra deftly led by music director Baker Peeples. An adept ensemble of 10 seasoned Lamplighters performers renders the songs with delightful humor and mellifluous voices. Occasionally, when there are several songs from the same operetta, we’re treated to some of Gilbert’s delightful dialogue to transition from one song to the next. Even when the songs are performed without any context, they’re not just sung concert style but acted out to charming comedic effect.
It’s a lively selection of musical numbers from the duo’s 13 comic operas, performed in chronological order (except the two selected to bring the evening to a close). Hearing a bit of “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” included might jolt the listener into wondering if somehow Gilbert and Sullivan had some heretofore unknown hand in the creation of that Christmas carol, but no, it’s just a bit of scene-setting.
The songs include many of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most lively and memorable numbers while not quite sticking to the “greatest hits.” The “Pirates of Penzance” section, for example, includes not a word about modern major-generals or most ingenious paradoxes.
Some comic operas are limited to a single song apiece, including “The Sorcerer,” “Patience” and their ill-regarded final collaborations “Utopia, Ltd.” and “The Grand Duke” (which even the Lamplighters have hardly ever performed). Others may be represented by four or five numbers, such as “H.M.S. Pinafore,” “The Mikado” and “The Gondoliers.”
The selection is perhaps too generous, making this sampler seem overlong at nearly three hours. One drawback to the chronological structure is that the show reaches its height in the middle musically and comically, with diminishing returns thereafter. By and large, it’s a highly enjoyable tribute to a beloved pair of artists by those who love them most.
Contact Sam Hurwitt at shurwitt@gmail.com, and follow him at Twitter.com/shurwitt.
‘A SONG TO SING, O!’
By Barbara Heroux, William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, presented by Lamplighters Music Theatre
When & where: 8 p.m. May 4 at Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek; 3 p.m. May 14 at Menlo-Atherton Center for Performing Arts, 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton
Running time: 2 hours and 50 minutes, one intermission
Tickets: $20-$55; www.lamplighters.org
