Review: Despite Game Cast, PIRATES with MasterVoices Abandons Ship at New York City Center

Bravo to the Collegiate Chorale for taking things up a notch--changing its name to MasterVoices and taking on an ambitious season that opened with a semi-staged production of Gilbert & Sullivan's THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at New York City Center, with a game cast including some top Broadway performers and opera singer Deborah Voigt. But this is the house that City Center ENCORES! built over the last 20 years-including originating the long-running Broadway production of Kander & Ebb's CHICAGO--and they should have known to bring in a stronger director to help the evening jell.

In other words, as a director, Ted Sperling (MasterVoices' Artistic Director) is a good conductor.

PIRATES is still a seaworthy vessel for revival in the right hands, as the last Broadway production--via Joe Papp and Central Park in 1982--proved very well. This one had some glimpses of what might have been. Let's start with the best, including the MasterVoices chorus, which gave a well-rehearsed, buoyant rendition of one of the best Gilbert & Sullivan scores, and the spirited contributions of the Orchestra of St. Lukes.

Douglas Hodge, who won a Tony as Zaza in the most recent revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, livened up the proceedings immediately when he made his entrance through the chorus members to do "I Am the Very Model of a Major General." The well-experienced actor--in town to direct the recently opened production of Pinter's OLD TIMES at the Roundabout--clearly had an energizing effect on the rest of the cast from the moment he came on stage.

The find of the evening, however, was Julia Udine as Mabel, the Major General's daughter. Udine has been a Christine in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on Broadway and on tour and her lovely voice (leading "Poor Wandering One" among other songs) and assured bearing were a definite plus. Montego Glover, an award winner and Tony-nominee for MEMPHIS in 2010, was a lively presence and vocally strong as Kate, one of Mabel's sisters, and I wished they had given her more to do. The same went for Betsey Wolfe, a theatre professional who was also in the recent FLEDERMAUS at the Met, as Edith, another sister. Zachary James towered over the cast (literally) as Samuel, one of the pirates and raised the level of fun in "Hold, Monsters!"

On the downside, Hunter Parrish was overparted (and perhaps nervous) as Frederic; Phillip Boykin, who made such a strong impression as Crown in PORGY & BESS, opposite Audra McDonald, was basically miscast as the Pirate King and hammed things up unmercifully; and veteran David Garrison needed some better direction to make his Sergeant take flight. Soprano Deborah Voigt sounded fine but she is not a natural actress in this kind of material and was left in the lurch by the lack of a firm directorial hand.

As the Collegiate Chorale, MasterVoices has a history of well-put-together concert performances of operas. But there's a difference between a concert and a semi-staged performance like this--and even the most seasoned of the cast could have used better leadership from Sperling and associate director Gustavo Zajac.

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