Fair Winds, Favorable Seas for Opera a la Carte’s ‘Pinafore’

For 31 years, Richard Sheldon’s Pasadena-based Opera a la Carte has been keeping the authentic Gilbert and Sullivan flame alive. In recent years, the modestly budgeted but spirited troupe has gone national, performing outside California more frequently than within the Golden State.

The company made its first public performances at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday with “H.M.S. Pinafore.” (Previous appearances were part of its extensive educational activities.)

With Sheldon’s enlightened staging and Alexander Ruggieri’s inspired musical direction, the troupe showed it was as good as ever. Even better: Gilbert and Sullivan are as wonderful as ever and need no director’s updating nor pop-style voices to succeed today.

Absence makes it easy to forget how rich the score of “Pinafore” is and how innovative Gilbert’s direction was, and why the two made “Pinafore’s” 1878 appearance a landmark.

The shift from the stiff initial madrigal complexity of “A British Tar” (Sullivan parodying his own musical tradition) to its toe-tapping synchronized choral expansion (Gilbert reveling in stylized action), for instance, was just one of the moments at the matinee that made body and soul happy.

All the soloists, for all the variety in vocal accomplishment, sang strongly and inhabited their roles credibly. Some, however, were easier to understand than others.

Sheldon’s Sir Joseph showed signs of vocal wear but no loss in authority. Craig Gilmore made a handsome Ralph Rackstraw, although his voice turned tremulous under pressure. Kris Kennedy, a company veteran, was an elegant Josephine.

Rollin Lofdahl, another long-term company member, was a secure Captain Corcoran. Terrell Anderson, who also has been with the company for more than 10 years, played Dick Deadeye with nasty zest.

Tracy van Fleet was a poised Buttercup. Eli Villanueva made a sunny Boatswain’s Mate. Ann Noriel was a pert Hebe. Bass Jim Brown (Carpenter’s Mate) completed the madrigal trio strongly.

The choruses were uniformly rich and the small Opera a la Carte Orchestra played splendidly.

The performance was dedicated to Wayne Shilkret, executive director of the center and former director of Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, who died this year.