After a first-ever season at City Center in January, the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players (NYGASP) have returned to their old home, the newly renovated Symphony Space, this spring for a thoroughly charming and cheerful run of "Patience," the droll send-up of the rarified aestheticism of Swinburne and Tennyson, Whistler and Wilde.  Music and artistic director Albert Bergeret, collaborating on staging with choreographer Mary Lou Barber, skillfully guides the fine soloists and the impressively precise ensemble of wilting "love-sick maidens" and stomping "Heavy Dragoons" through a delightful romp.
    Playing the eponymous milkmaid, innocent of love, Michele McConnell lends a bright lyric soprano to her sprightly bel canto entrance aria and Act Two ballad extolling "a love that's pure."  She caps the Donizetti-and-Verdian stretta that ends Act One with a secure climactic high D and joins baritone Mark Womack, as Grosvenor, and soprano Katie Geissinger, as Lady Angela, for harmonious duets.
    Larry Raiken, as Bunthorne, puts across the character of the affected aesthetic poet perfectly, contributing a lilting, Handelian confession about the airs he puts on and expert patter as he raffles himself off to his rapturous followers.  As the purveyor of trite, simplistic verse, Womack makes his mark with a vividly ridiculous "Fable of the Magnet and the [Silver] Churn."  The rival poets join voices in a jolly duet about their competing styles and the changes in store.
    Quite grand in her delivery, imposing mezzo-soprano Melissa Parks makes a formidable Lady Jane and brings down the house when crashing cymbals, in the finale of Act One, and sawing, twirling or strumming a cello, during her Act Two aria, "Silvered is the raven hair."  Parks and Raiken's duet about joining forces against Grosvenor ranks, with its dance, slapstick humor, and encores, as a highlight of the performance.
    Duane McDevitt brings a well-placed baritone to Colonel Calverley's patter about the alchemy that goes into creating a Heavy Dragoon and proud paean to a guardsman's profession and uniform.  Michael Scott Harris tackles the Duke of Dunstable's plea, "Your maiden hearts," and his high line in the moody Act One sextet and spirited Act Two quintet, with the solo maidens and other dragoons, with old fashioned heroic tenor flair.  Geissinger, McDevitt, Susan Case, Jenny Millsap and Eddie Peterson help to make these ensembles stand out as well.  The dragoons' hilarious attempt to emulate aesthetic attitudes merits special mention.
    Agreeable designs are by Jack Garver (sets), Jean Brookman (costumes) and Sally Small (lighting).
    NYGASP will return to City Center next January for "The Pirates of Penzance" (10-12), "The Mikado" (17-19) and "The Gondoliers" (24-26).

"Patience" at Symphony Space
Broadway and 95th Street
May 9-19
Tickets $31-46 212/864-5400

"Pirates of Penzance," "Mikado" and "Gondoliers" at City Center
55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues
January 10-26, 2003
Tickets on sale June 2002 212/581-1212

More information at http://www.nygasp.org