Every well-rounded theatre-goer should see at least one Gilbert and Sullivan production in their lifetime and Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse is presenting a delightful opportunity to do so right now. Their robust production of The Pirates of Penzance runs through June 21.
Perhaps W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s most-produced piece, the comic opera debuted in New York in 1879 and has remained a favorite of light opera companies and adventuresome community theatres. The demands of costume, set, music, and especially voice make it somewhat of a gamble to produce for a non-operatically-inclined company, but if done correctly can pay off with very satisfied audiences.
6th Street hedged their bet by double casting the five principal roles. The “Bones” cast features Aidan Cumming, Caroline Flett, Drew Bolander, Ginger Beavers, and Ted C. Smith. The “Skull” cast has Andrew Cedeño, Nicole Stanley, Skyler King, Laura Downing-Lee, and Tim Setzer. While I attended a performance with the “Bones” cast, the caliber of talent in both groups would lead one to assume a similar high quality of performance…