THEATER REVIEW : BRAVERY NOT ENOUGH FOR G&S; TRIBUTE

It takes a brave writer to attempt a musical biography of one of the hottest writing teams in the history of musical theater.

Welton Jones, by day a drama critic for the San Diego Union, has taken up the task for the San Diego Gilbert & Sullivan Company.

By his own telling, Jones made a casual remark to his wife, who happens to be Hollace Koman, the company’s artistic director, about the ease of writing a backstage biography of Sir William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. He has spent the summer putting his writing where his mouth was.

The fruits of his labors, called “The Savoy Theatre Cat,” opened the company’s eighth season last Friday in Balboa Park.

Haste, as they say, makes waste. The musical is suffering from a premature birth, still undefined as whimsical or historical, or a workable combination of both.

Director J. Sherwood Montgomery has complicated matters with a slow, clunky staging that leaves actors dangling at the end of short scenes (doesn’t this company know about blackouts, slow fades, graceful exits?) and insists on carrying out awkward business that drags the whole affair long into the night. Jones did come up with some clever bits, only to have them mangled by a company that seems confused by the work.

The play’s initial inspiration--the idea of a theater cat that saw and heard all during the peak years of Gilbert’s and Sullivan’s productivity--is mostly lost in “clippings” of historical fact that are more like inside jokes than narrative drama.

If you haven’t done your G&S; homework, don’t expect to understand the references to famous Savoy actors and actresses, celebrated tantrums among the D’Oyly Carte family, or even much about the personalities of Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. D’Oyly Carte. This is a show for Savoyards (G&S; fanatics who pride themselves on their knowledge of the London company), filled with statistical tidbits not made meaningful for the uninformed by any recognizable thread of story or tension.

“The Savoy Theatre Cat” opens in 1909, then quickly shifts back to 1881, when Richard D’Oyly Carte opened the Savoy Theatre to house what became a century of productions of Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic operas. In between the historical exposition, the company sings excerpts from the operas, most of which have been recently produced on the local stage, or will be soon (“Ruddigore” next week, “The Mikado” in June).

Not surprisingly, Sullivan’s music and Gilbert’s lyrics are the best parts of “The Savoy Theatre Cat.” But taken out of context, some of the songs lose their power and wit.

Musical director Koman has provided additional lyrics and adaptations to fit the “cat” theme.

Most of the time the cat (danced by Larry Anhorn) seems to be in the way, but occasionally Jones has fun with it, throwing off the yoke of obligation to history and letting his own imagination fly. The cat’s dream of three mice singing “Three Little Maids” from “The Mikado” is silly but refreshing. So is “In a Contemplative Fashion,” which trivializes into song the serious disagreements among Gilbert, Sullivan and the D’Oyly Cartes (with additional lyrics by Koman).

These bursts of silliness may be weak imitations of the G&S; magic, but they are much more pleasant than the incomplete doses of historical fact. Set in counterpoint against one another, these two approaches make the whole thing messy.

Powell Harrison, in the key role of William Gilbert, diffuses what needs to be a strong portrayal by repeatedly stumbling over lines. Gary Wright as Arthur Sullivan and Paul Nolan as Richard D’Oyly Carte do well with what they’ve been given, but never have the scenes they need to develop personalities, or conflicts. They are forced to rely on what an audience might already know of these men.

Young Blake Soper, as boy soprano Edward Percy, shines through the haze in his amazing delivery of the difficult patter-song, “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.” George Weinberg-Harter, usually a bright spot, is disappointing and underused as the Savoy comedian, George Grossmith.

Robin Gillette stands out among the women as mezzo-soprano Jessie Bond.

N. Dixon Fish’s set is a terrible mishmash of painted pieces that take forever to move, disrupting whatever smoothness might have been achieved. Tim Reeve’s lighting design shows little imagination. Cindy J. Cetinske’s costumes are nice but lost in the overall sloppiness, like Judy Sharp’s choreography.

If Jones is not completely discouraged by the handling of his work in progress, “The Savoy Theatre Cat” still has potential. The idea is terrific--it might even be an SDG&S; classic someday--but what’s playing is nothing like the ideal tribute to Gilbert & Sullivan that Jones and Koman were looking for.

“THE SAVOY THEATRE CAT” By Welton Jones. With the songs of Gilbert & Sullivan. Additional lyrics and music adaptations by Hollace Koman. Directed by J. Sherwood Montgomery. Conductor and musical director is Hollace Koman. Choreography by Judy Sharp. Set design by N. Dixon Fish. Costume design by Cindy J. Cetinske. Lighting design by Tim Reeve. Featuring Paul Nolan, Powell Harrison, Gary Wright, Vanetina Annerino, Robin Gillette, Larry Anhorn, Blake Soper, George Weinberg-Harter, Michael Darcy, Brett Weir, Kellie Evans-O’Connor, Richard A. Wright, Michael Cox. Saturday and Oct. 10 at 8 p.m., Oct. 12 at 2:30 p.m. at the Casa del Prado Theatre, Balboa Park. Produced by the San Diego Gilbert & Sullivan Company.