It has been said that comedy is simply a funny way of being serious. And no one takes themselves as seriously (and to such hilarious results) as the characters in W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s Patience being presented by the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Patience was written in 1881 as a satirical takedown of the Aesthetic Movement which prized beauty above all else. While modern Seattle audiences may not be totally familiar with the movement which rose to prominence in Europe in the 19th century, we can certainly recognize the superficiality and pretentiousness that comes with a group of people following whatever the latest craze or fad happens to be.
The operetta begins with the “Twenty lovesick maidens” lounging and sighing all over the stage declaring their love for the poet Bunthorne. Each poor maiden seems to be posing for her very own Grecian sculpture of a despondent woman in love. In contrast with the brood of brooding women is Patience the earnest and practical milkmaid. She decries love and terrible effect it seems to be having on everyone. However, it is revealed she is the only person to whom Bunthorne has shown any romantic interest at all. To add another complication to our plot, in come the Dragoon Guards all of whom, only one year ago, were engaged to the now otherwise preoccupied maidens. The beloved Bunthorne enters and composes a poem on the spot to the rapture of the maidens and dismay of the Guards. Once left alone, however, Bunthorne reveals that he is a fraud and finds aestheticism to be overly ostentatious. He is only in the poetry game for the praise and adoration.
Later, in some very serious girl talk, Patience is convinced that love is the only truly unselfish act. She is moved by this notion and remembers the only time she was ever in love – with her childhood sweetheart, Archibald Grosvenor. And who should show up proposing marriage but Grosvenor himself! He is the perfect picture of the Aesthetic ideal. Patience is overjoyed until she realizes that loving him is not at all unselfish – he is too perfect. She must give him up for the greater good. Patience decides to pledge herself, most unselfishly, to Bunthorne. The rest of the lovesick maidens, disheartened, go back to their Dragoon Guards until Archibald Grosvenor enters the stage and suddenly, they have a new poet to worship. The act ends with all love unrequited and no one particularly satisfied. There are twists and turns and wigs and costume changes but by the finale, everyone ends up with their rightful partner.
The difficulty when the plot is complicated and rife with satire, is finding a cast that can be clear and charming and still fit in all the jokes. In this cast we have that in abundance. In the titular character of Patience, Anna Galavis is bright and youthful with an airy soprano. In the roles of dueling poets Bunthorne and Grosvenor are Darrell Jordan and Colin Briskey respectively. Jordan is hilarious and shameless in the very best way. There is no potential joke unmined. He uses his full range not only in the vocals but throughout his dialogue as well. Briskey is the perfect balance of charm and arrogance. He brings a delightful physicality to the role and is the perfect foil for Bunthorne. These two have some of the best chemistry together onstage of all of the pairings. One of the standout supporting characters is Dawn Padula as Lady Jane the “aging” contralto and a staple of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. Padula has a rich and delicious chest voice and navigates through her registers with ease. In addition, her comedic timing is perfection and her Act II aria “Silvered is the raven hair” is a tour de force.
The influence of Aestheticism is felt not only throughout the plot and characterisations but director Ruben van Kempen has brought it into the deftly hilarious staging and the beautiful yet simple (and perfectly superficial) sets designed by Craig Wollam. The costumes designed by Janessa Styk are not only gorgeous but are responsible for some of the biggest laughs in the show. Under the G&S veteran baton of Bernard Kwiram, the orchestra is vibrant and dynamic and the singing is skilled and well-balanced.
Patience is playing through July 22nd at the Seattle Repertory Theater. For tickets and further information visit https://seattlegilbertandsullivan.com/patience/