Victorian curio curiously faded

By PETER CALDER


A terribly English restraint both makes and mars this touring production of a Gilbert and Sullivan favourite.

The Carl Rosa Company's stated intention is to perform G&S "Gilbert and Sullivan's way"; thus the design by Christine Edzard, who was behind the marvellous two-film adaptation of Little Dorrit in 1988, is almost fanatically authentic.

Costumes are restored or exactly copied originals, and it is easy to sense we are seeing something close to what D'Oyly Carte gave London audiences 130 years ago.

Yet the result is a show that seems curiously muted and listless. To some extent this is because the small company and 24-piece orchestra struggle to fill the cavernous Civic, which, in the circle at least, was barely half-full on opening night. Trying to boost the impact by placing a microphone downstage centre underlines the company's limitations, since volume rises and falls with the singer's position.

The story of mismatched loves struggling to overcome the restrictions of social class is classically Gilbertian, and the wicked satire which resides in the character of Sir Joseph Porter still works wonderfully, even if the original reference to the appointment of landlubber publishing tycoon W.H. Smith as First Lord of the Admiralty is lost on modern audiences.

We are not looking for razzle-dazzle, and this production isn't trying to deliver it. But the impression abides of an enterprise more intent on paying homage to the work than giving a great night out to the punters.

Timothy West, a favourite with television audiences, is plainly the drawcard, but he seems more slight than buffoonish and pompous. His unmelodic singing may be forgiven, since many of Gilbert's comic roles have been adeptly handled by actors who could scarcely sing a note, but we were entitled to hope he could get through his signature song (When I was a lad) without fluffing the lines.

Of the other principals, Maeve Morris' Josephine was the real musical treat: The hours creep on apace showcased a marvellous soprano, and her duets with an aptly anaemic Ralph (David Curry) worked well.

On balance, though, this is more of a theatrical curio than a fine night of musical theatre.

Review

* What: HMS Pinafore

* Where: Civic

* Reviewer: Peter Calder