The Off-Broadway Theatre Review: NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ H.M.S. Pinafore

By Ross

H.M.S. Pinafore has endured for nearly a century and a half because it understands exactly what it is, and, just as importantly, what it need not be. The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ buoyant production at the Kaye Playhouse embraces that truth wholeheartedly, offering a lovingly straightforward staging that honors the operetta’s history while allowing itself a few knowing winks toward the present. Rather than chasing reinvention, this Pinafore trusts the material, the music, and the communal pleasure of hearing Gilbert & Sullivan sung gloriously and well. The result is a charming, generous evening that feels both respectful and joyfully alive.

Musically, the production is a delight. David Auxier (NYGASP’s Mikado) brings warmth, authority, and a beautifully burnished baritone to Captain Corcoran, grounding the show with energy and ease. Michelle Seipel (LCT’s Carousel) as Josephine is lovingly clear-toned and emotionally elegant, while Cameron Smith (NYGASP’s Trial by Jury) as Ralph Rackstraw sings with conviction and romantic ardor. Angela Christine Smith (NYGASP’s I’ve Got a Little Twist) is especially winning as Little Buttercup, her rich vocalism matched by an easy comic assurance that makes every appearance a pleasure. Across the board, the cast seems to organically understand the task at hand: to sing this music with care, clarity, and genuine affection, allowing Sullivan’s score to do its considerable work.

James Mills, the company’s famed “patterman,” is a particular joy as Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., bringing precision, fizz, and impeccable timing to the role. Mills (The Hell’s Kitchenettes), who also directs the production, finds room for playful contemporary references without ever overwhelming the piece’s structure or spirit. A delightful improvised telephone scene between Sir Joseph and Captain Corcoran lands especially well, folding in modern New York humour, from Lexington Avenue parking spots to a knowing nod toward Operation Mincemeat, that earns big laughs while remaining entirely in keeping with the show’s comic DNA. It’s affectionate, clever, and mercifully brief, enhancing rather than distracting from the whole.

Visually and theatrically, the production is solid and pleasing in its simplicity. Albère’s scenic design, Benjamin Weill’s lighting, and Gail J. Wofford’s costumes create a world that feels comfortably nautical and theatrically heightened without unnecessary fuss. The choreography, under the co-direction of David Auxier and Bill Fabris’s original work, backed by the phenomenal orchestra directed by Joseph Rubin (Rodgers and Hart’s musical Dearest Enemy in Akron, OH), keeps the action lively and well-paced. There’s an ease to the staging that allows the audience to settle in and enjoy the operetta on its own terms, confident that it’s in capable hands and solid voices.

If one were inclined to do the math on the show’s famously tidy ending, uncomfortable questions might arise, but that has never been the point of H.M.S. Pinafore. What matters is the spirit in which it is performed, and here that spirit is unmistakably loving. Cousins may marry cousins, improbabilities may abound, but when the music is sung this beautifully and the wit delivered with such affection, logic happily goes overboard. Just like the latest Broadway rewiring of Pirates! The Penzance Musical, this Pinafore reminds us why Gilbert & Sullivan still matter: not as museum pieces, but as living, breathing celebrations of theatrical joy.