Symphony Space has its own delicious New Year’s Eve tradition: A Champagne Gala of Gilbert & Sullivan Favorites. “The New Year’s Champagne Gala of Gilbert & Sullivan Favorites” at Symphony Space was an old-fashioned affair. Celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary, Albert Bergeret, the artistic director of the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, led the company through every nook and cranny of Gilbert & Sullivan’s operettas.
The gala began with the cheery Overture from H.M.S. Pinafore, and it cast a halo of magic over the proscenium stage. H.M.S. Pinafore is by far Gilbert & Sullivan’s most charming opera, a musical confection that appeals to everybody from 5 to 105. Though Gilbert & Sullivan certainly created more sophisticated operas, nothing compares with the delicate bloom of this masterpiece.
The emotional intensity increased in the next number, “With Catlike Tread,” from The Pirates of Penzance. The ensemble evoked the feeling of dangerous pirates who have just come ashore to civilization. Still, the real crowd-pleaser arrived moments later with the “Major General,” also from The Pirates of Penzance. Instead of the original lyrics, tenor Stephen Quint and the ensemble delivered a parody of the song, incorporating all 32 varieties of Campbell Soup into the verses. Bergeret reminded the audience that this famous song has been parodied in countless ways over the years. Indeed, it has been embedded in television episodes of The Muppets, used in a television advertisement for the New York Lottery, and retooled for the 2001 film Kate & Leopold--to mention a few.
The program alternated between straightforward deliveries and more fun-loving ones. Bergeret has an easy stage presence, and in his between-song patter, he told us funny anecdotes about performing Gilbert & Sullivan over the decades in both large and tiny venues. Whatever trivia or fact he enthusiastically tossed out was met with a warm nod or smile. Obviously, he was preaching to the choir here.
Bergeret kept his baton busy all evening. He deftly wove in 2 songs from The Mikado. The first was “Behold the Lord High Executioner,” a classic that was evenly delivered by baritone David Macaluso and a male chorus. Later in the program alto Amy Maude Helfer and a female chorus regaled us with a gentle melody called “Braid the Raven Hair.” Bergeret confided that some of the best Gilbert & Sullivan songs get cut from stream-lined productions, something that he finds a whiff disappointing. Yet with a mischievous wink, he assured us that these songs would be given their rightful place on New Year’s Eve.
Next up was the “audience request” portion of the show. This part of the program was the most fun and fizzy. In fact, audience members had been invited earlier to write down their “favorites” on a sheet of paper, and give them to a performer during the special champagne intermission. Naturally, not all the requests could be played during the program. But Bergeret made a good attempt at including a cross-section of the audience’s requests. He started off with the Overture from “Patience,” which soon melted into an aria by soprano Laurelyn Watson Chase, “Love is a Plaintive Song.” In fact, this was the most challenging part of the program for the performers, because they were being asked to perform songs at the mere wave of a baton. True, some singers missed a few beats, and blanked on a few lines. But there were always others in the ensemble who were ready to chime in—or step forward-- with the correct musical phrasing and rhyme. And it was at this point as well that the show shifted into a kind of sing-a-along. And considering that most audience members were Gilbert & Sullivan aficionados, quite a few voices swelling from the orchestra seats were powerful.
Bergeret wrapped up the evening with the traditional “Auld Lang Syne” and a madrigal from Gilbert & Sullivan, “Life’s a Pudding Full of Plums.” And though Gilbert & Sullivan can’t claim the first song as their own, the ensemble surely managed to imprint their signature on it.
So you missed the New Year’s Champagne Gala at Symphony Space? Well, take heart. The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players are transporting themselves to City Center for 2 weeks in January. They will be performing 4 old chestnuts: H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and Ruddigore. When it comes to operetta, it doesn’t get any better than this.
The Gilbert & Sullivan Fest 2010, at City Center, West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.
January 8-17.
Tickets: 212-581-1212