Month: Nov 2023

By Ian Diddams

Images: Gail Foster

Four hundred years ago, if you had gone to a playhouse (such as they existed) to see a play performed you’d have seen men and boys play all the parts – it was illegal for females to be an actor. Shakespeare, Marlow, Johnson… all had their output performed by the male of the species.

Now, in the twenty-first century, we live in far more enlightened times. But that said … The Lord Chamberlain’s Men are a touring Shakespearian troupe that perform in exactly that way of four hundred years ago (incidentally as I write this The First Folio is 400 years old TODAY!). Sascha Regan has famously – or in some quarters infamously – created an all-male company that performs Gilbert and Sullivan (and very well too – close your eyes in particular and I challenge you to doubt the soprano voice singing the female character leads). Matthew Bourne has created all male ballet performances, including Swan Lake, with its light toed dance of the cygnets.

In some ways, the intervening four hundred years has upheld a seeming tradition of all male casting – although that doesn’t sit comfortably with some in those ballet and G&S worlds at least.

Enter stage left … Jemma Brown. Jemma is hugely supportive of Sascha Regan’s all male G&S productions. Regular readers of Devizine, and Devizes residents, will also know her as one half of the dynamic duo of Browns along with husband Anthony, who have brought the town, county and region TITCO (itself resurrected from her own parents’ company of the same name) and more latterly the “Fulltone Orchestra” aka FTO. Jemma, a very short while ago, attended an all-girl school – where she appeared in all female casts (by necessity perhaps but…) of various plays and performances… including G&S.

So it probably wasn’t a total surprise when Jemma announced that TITCO were to produce and perform an all-female cast production … of “Pirates of Penzance” the almost definitive Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, loved by many the world over for its silliness, brilliance … and stunning music. Gilbert was the sharply witted satirist for sure – but Sullivan was a magician with music. (No surprise either then that they also created “The Sorcerer”). Especially when Anthony – no small musical genius in his own right in many ways – is a massive G&S fan anyway.

And so this show was born.
I’ll interject with a personal note here (yes, I know that’s bad form!). When one watches shows that have been around for 400 years, 180 years, even 70 years… everybody has done EVERYTHING about them to death. There is nothing wrong with “tradition” of course (ask Tevye…); but if nobody bucks that tradition, then all we ever share is the SAME show over and over again. Art surely demands that different visions are tried – even if they fail.

And THIS show …. Doesn’t fail. Trust me – I’m a journalist!

It’s a pure “Pirates” – nobody has changed the text, lyrics, and music. Of course. But you have females playing policemen, pirates, and a Major General. Well, there’s nothing new there really is there? Cressida Dick, Anne Bonny, Sharon Nesmith – for starters. (Google is your friend if you don’t follow that list…). But – I digress. What of the show?

An opening night audience of well above a hundred speaks volumes in itself. There is a low-level installed stage – eschewing the Corn Exchange’s in place elevated stage – simply yet perfectly lit by the excellent as ever Phil McClounan. Sound by Chris Worthy, which was clear throughout the evening. And of course, the musical accompaniment by the versatile and ridiculously talented Dominic Irving.

And then … the cast. Well… for those that have followed TITCO over the past fourteen years, there are some familiar faces and names, but the real MAGIC of THIS show has been Jemma’s ability to bring others into the fold. From those that are already used to treading the boards to complete first timers. Oh yes – there are some involved for whom this is the first EVER show. Not that you would know watching… it’s a rumbunctious, effervescent, and vigorous non-stop hundred-minute performance. But don’t worry – you’ve twenty minutes to have a pee in the interval and grab a drink to relax into the second half!

Being all-female naturally, one may expect the female roles to work well – well, of COURSE they do! Especially with the supreme talents of Terésa Isaacson as Ruth, solos, duets, and triplets delivered with consummate ease. And also, of course, Grace Sheridan as Edith and Georgia Watson as Kate, two daughters of the Major General. And of course, then there is Mabel… OMFG! This production is worth seeing in its own right, but if you need any further convincing, just go to listen to Daisy Woodruffe, totally NAIL Mabel. Wonderful, wonderful stuff from all four!

But – and here is the elephant in the room I sense in some quarters – how do these women deliver all those male characters. You know, the Pirates (or Pilots – what?) and Policemen, especially the Pirate King, Seargeant, and that bloke with the daft birthday, Frederic? Well… what can I say? You don’t get Bryn Terfel for sure – but then I doubt Bryn could deliver Mabel for all his brilliance and training, so its 15-all and new balls, please, and YES – of COURSE they deliver. In fact, it’s this aspect that really, really makes the show. You can’t put a fag paper between the excellence in delivery of all four major “male” characters here. Mari Webster is simply superb – and believable – as the Pirate King, all swashbuckling and forthright. And I rarely say that orphan. Sarah Davies with her Brummy Seargeant and wonderfully choreographed daft policemen – Debby Wilkinson, Mel Coombe and Amanda Kapoor, almost steal the show. And Frederic… now, G&S and even Pirates (which is pretty daft as a concept!) is never pantomime (oh yes it is, no it isn’t… etc). But the concept of a principal boy is a well-established principle (and principal) in British Theatre and Naomi Ibbetson demonstrates that principle in her principal role to perfection… and her beautiful voice against Daisy’s in “Oh, here is love, and here is truth” is as good as any you will hear anywhere, in any company. That leaves Tina Duffin as the major-general. Now – we all know the song we want to hear that character sing. It’s not an easy song to deliver – its wordy, its tongue-twisty, its LONG! There is no respite. But Tina delivers it clearly, crisply, and absolutely spot on. Bravo!

There is one more male character that orphan gets overlooked. Samuel. Samuel is a sort of Gilbert “tack on” – I’ve always got the impression Gilbert had something more to say but had run out of characters to say it, so Samuel got invented. Samuel is played by Laura Deacon. And is probably the best Samuel I’ve ever seen (sorry to people I know who have played the role!). Meaty, meaningful, and really sold the character as not just a Gilbert write in. Double Bravo.

And that leaves the rest of the ensemble… no lumpen chorus here (thanks to Gail of Devizes for that perfect phrase). Lots of pirates and daughters filling the stage – and theatre floor too at times – with “business” and keeping the joyful atmosphere going. I said right at the beginning that for some of these ensemble this was their first ever show, performing in front of people, let alone over a hundred. Bravo to them especially. Bravo to answering the call, stepping up, being in it to win it. Bravo for learning the songs and being joyful. Bloody bravo.

If you like G&S – go. If you don’t like G&S because you got dragged through it at school, go, or your mum and dad dragged you out to performances 40 years ago when a less “free” interpretation was available – go. If you think all female casts are “wrong” – go… you may just find you enjoy it because after a very short while you really won’t notice it.

And if you still don’t like it – just buy a ticket and go anyway. Because it’s the 21st century, and after all, it’s really not that much different than what was happening 400 years ago anyway in many ways.

“The Pirates of Penzance”, performed by TITCO All-Female cast, is in performance at the Corn Exchange, Devizes at 7.30pm every night until 11th November.

Tickets are available from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/titco, and Devizes Books.