Columbus State University Schwob School of Music student Phillip McIntyre thinks “HMS Pinafore” is the perfect introduction to opera for those who have never seen an opera performance.
“This is an opera in English and it’s light,” he said.
CSU student actors and singers bring the Gilbert & Sullivan opera to the RiverCenter’s Studio Theatre stage Friday and Sunday.
Gilbert & Sullivan are perhaps best known for “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado.”
The “HMS Pinafore” is an opera that everyone can enjoy, said Joseph Golden, the Schwob School’s director of opera, professor of organ and coordinator of music history and literature.
He said it’s “typical of opera, about mistaken identity.”
The comic opera takes place aboard a British war ship called H.M.S. Pinafore. The opera was first performed in the late 1800s in England and features commentary on the British class system at that time.
The ship’s captain wants his daughter, Josephine, to marry Sir Joseph Porter but Josephine is in love with a lower-class sailor, Ralph Rackstraw.
During the opera, it’s revealed that Sir Joseph Porter and Ralph Rackstraw were switched at birth by Buttercup, played by Cecilia Felix.
Justin Stevens plays Ralph Rackstraw. Phillip McIntyre takes on the role of the captain. Kristen Meyers plays Josephine and Zachary Bryant portrays Sir Joseph Porter. Lydia Jackson is one of Sir Joseph’s cousins; and Jack Stearns, Paul Donohue and Byron Mayes play sailors.
There are nine principal singers and 25 singers in the chorus, Golden said.
“The chorus sounds great in the small theater,” Golden said. “It fills it right up.”
Golden is the artistic and music director and conductor, while Larry Dooley, the department of theater’s chair, is the stage director.
“We haven’t done Gilbert & Sullivan in 14 years,” Golden said. This particular opera is a good one for college theater, he said, because the large number of principal and chorus roles offers a lot of students a chance to participate.
Golden worked closely with the other CSU vocal professors to choose students who were ready to perform this opera.
“We are fortunate to have so many strong singers,” he said.
Dooley has enjoyed helping students “act” as they sing their roles, he said.
This production is a perfect fit for Stevens, who is a double-major working on both theater and music degrees.
“It ended up being perfect,” he said. “Vocally, it’s the right kind of challenge. This is perfect right after the holidays. It’s rollicking good fun. There are so many funny lines and the audience is going to howl at some of them.”
HMS PINAFORE CAST
Capt. Corcoran: Phillip McIntyre, 22, a senior vocal performance major from Roswell, Ga. He’s been in “Opera Sampler,” and played the roles of Dr. Malatesta in “Don Pasquale,” Ko-Ko in “The Mikado” and Nathan in “Guys and Dolls.”
Ralph Rackstraw: Justin Stevens is a fourth-year student pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in music and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in theater performance. He’s from Albany, Ga.
Josephine: Kristen Meyers, 21, is a senior vocal performance major from Houston. This is her first production at CSU.
Sir Joseph: Zachary Bryant, 21, is a senior voice major (with a minor in economics) from Houston. He has been in “Into the Woods.”
Mrs. Cripps or Little Buttercup: Cecilia Felix, 21, is a senior music major, originally from Texas. She has been in “The True Story of Cinderella.”
Sailor Dick Deadeye: Jack Stearns, 19, is a sophomore majoring in voice. This is his first collegiate show.
Sailor Bill Bobstay: Byron Mayes is a junior vocal performance major from Houston. This is his first appearance in a show at CSU.
Sailor Bob Becket: Paul Donohue, 20, is a junior majoring in music from Fayetteville, Ga. This is his first CSU show.
Cousin Hebe: Lydia Jackson, 21, is a junior vocal performance major from Newan. She was in “Opera Sampler” last May.
