Sir W.S. Gilbert's book, The Pinafore Picture Book , is the heart of our production.  Written for children, this book tells the story of H.M.S. Pinafore in an unconventional way with new takes on classic characters, new story lines, and a narrative in Gilbert's own signature wit.   When I first read the tale, I knew it was a special book that could be integrated into a performance of the operetta to give audiences an irreverent new way of enjoying this classic play.   The sets, costumes, music arrangement, and staging are all inspired by Gilbert's incredible sense of humor and inventive storytelling.

            I used Gilbert's narrative from the book to create a new character called The Girl who reads directly from the picture book and leads the audience through the story.   The music director, Edward Barnes, and I worked together to adapt the music for a smaller cast of five men and one woman.  The five men each play multiple roles to increase to great comedic effect, but the actress only portrays Josephine.   This isolates and glorifies her as the singular, soprano feminine voice and romantic lead.  All the male characters either admire or desire her and the narrator, who sits outside of the story, identifies with Miss Josephine's plight.   The set and costume designers both drew inspiration from the idea of a child at play to create the colorful and imaginative world of our production.  

            Gilbert and Sullivan's musicals are admittedly silly and light.   They are often performed with a strong emphasis on nostalgia and historical recreation of Gilbert's original staging.  I like to think of this adaptation as both respectful and irreverent to the original.   We are using new techniques and interpretations to bring audiences to the story again, for the first time.