The Gilbert and Sullivan canon has been begging for a revisionist staging for years, and finally the Vortex Theater company has heard the call. I consider most modern performances of the G&S operettas to be an exercise in complete boredom because they're attacked with such sincere amateurity by non-professional actors and singers. Rarely do we see a quality mounting of a G&S classic. And even then, the stage usually is filled with huge choruses who wear identical costumes, allowing the main characters to get lost in a sea of tediousness… And now for something completely different… Vortex has pared down "H.M.S. Pinafore" using a children's book as its model. A cast of seven cover all the parts. And it works. Not only is this 80-minute adapation highly entertaining, the young actors all turn in well-rehearsed and thoroughly enchanting performances. I'd love to see this in a bigger Off-Broadway house and with a much larger budget.
