Search - Adapted by Mark Savage from HMS Pinafore by Gilbert & Sullivan :: Pinafore! (Original Los Angeles Cast)

Witty Satire, Clever Premise, Amazing Performance

12/27/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this incredibly clever, funny show many times in Los Angeles and while the CD does preserve a record of the show, it does not, however, give it the justice it - and Mark Savage, its creator - deserves. The vocals could use some reverb - things sound a bit tinny - but it does present one of the best performances I have ever seen and heard. R. Christofer Sands as "Joseph/Josephine" gives a hysterical performance. His radient, clear countertenor voice effortlessly soared to the soprano heights clearly, amazingly and obviously well within his range. His is a muscular voice, with a delicate vibrato, clever phrasing, expert timing, and spot-on tonal quality. Not at all like the fat soprano sound produced by most countertenors, Sands' voice was clear and bell-like, sounding quite a bit like the legendary Barbara Cook. As for his live performance, one critic described it as "the closest we come to American Kabuki." I kept thinking of Cirque du Soleil. He was brilliant.Christopher Hall as the "love is blind" lad, 'Dick Dockstrap, whose lanky, yet muscular body houses a voice quaking with ardor, and the swarthy, handsome, daddy-type 'Captain Corkinit' of Michael Gregory are the other standouts of this recording. As 'Bitter Butterball,' Debra Lane, the only real woman in the cast, displays genuine warmth and affection in her rich, creamy voice. David Gillam Fuller as 'Senator Barney Crank' is all appropriate bombast, while Wilson Raiser as the duplicitous 'Harry Heavyset' is ineffective and ultimately forgettable. The chorus of sailor boys could benefit the most by adding reverb, and the 'DQ's' (sister, cousin, aunt) were more visually effective than vocal."

Brilliant adaptation, so-so performance

Crispee | Westminster, CO United States | 07/10/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this show twice in West Hollywood where it played for months. I am a fan of G&S and Pinafore and it was astounding to see where Mr. Savage went with this very delightful adaptation as he was very true to the original while changing almost every bit. Interestingly some lines remain exactly as Gilbert wrote them simply because they fit so well ("the Queen's navy" fits quite nicely as do other snippets.)The production was slim on flash and expensive scenery but the energy and hunkiness of the cast made up for it along with the great libretto. The music unfortunately had to be played on piano because of the space.While watching the boys do the show live was a great evening, listening to the rather cheap sounding recording does not hold the same pleasure especially if you've ever heard a recording previously of Pinafore.One of the brilliant casting choices of the show is to have the young ingenue played by a counter-tenor in drag, but while his acting was stop-the-show funny -- the solo singing verged on grating as alot of it was out of his range.There is also a few moments that stand out as truly strange choices that detracted from the show (including Lady Marmelade for the drag queens was one I can think of).So buy this CD if only to hear a really great gay adaptation of this show, but if you are looking for a brilliant performance I would recommend the more traditional Doyle Carte recordings of the show. Of course, if they ever decide to tour this production (and they should) definitely go see it."

A surprisingly fantastic queer send up of aG&S Operetta

Coco Pazzo | Long Beach, CA | 04/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hysterically, funny, well sung...If you like COMEDY in your Musical Comedy, this is the CD to get."