In the dim distant past, when I was in primary school, our annual production was either the nativity or, if we were very lucky, maybe Joseph or Bugsy Malone. Things seem to have changed a lot since then as, for the year four production at Manor Primary School in Uckfield, the children are taking on Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operetta, The Pirates of Penzance.
As well as going much more “highbrow” than is usual for a school production, another noticable change is that not all of the year four children are involved. Only those who really want to take part are cast and their enthusiasm for the stage, and for the piece they are performing, is evident from the moment they appear.
With costumes supplied by parents and props that have been created by the children themselves, under the guidance of their drama teacher, Mrs Hutchings, the children storm the stage to open their programme of highlights with the rousing “Oh, better far to live and die (I am a Pirate King)” – after which we are introduced to the Pirate King, played by Jack, and (to address the gender balance) the Pirate Queen, Jasmine.
The children have been coached and mentored in their Sound Academy project by Barry Clark, a seasoned G and S performer and founder of Tarantara Productions, an exciting new professional company established in 2014 to perform the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan to the highest standards. It is he who narrates the tale for the audience and his love for the composers is both endearing and infectious.
The children are clearly enjoying every moment of their opportunity to perform this masterpiece and, with vocal training by Janet Tourelle, sing heartily and enthusiastically throughout the production with Patrick Healy providing the musical accompaniment.
Major-General Stanley has one of the most famous, and most lyrically complicated, songs ever to be performed on stage, enough to provide a huge challenge to the most accomplished professional. Playing the Major-General, nine year old Scarlett, resplendent in her uniform, stands centre stage in front of the capacity audience – who hold their collective breath in anticipation.
What follows is quite simply amazing. With no prompting, and totally from memory, Scarlett performs “I am the very model of a modern Major-General” with the confidence and accuracy of the very best adult performers. She sings with clarity, with volume and with incredible skill and provides a real show-stopping moment.
After a quick change the pirates return as policemen to offer up “When a felon’s not engaged in his employment (A policeman’s lot is not a happy one)” and the children show off their comic timing to perfection as they work their way through the song.
All too soon we reach the final number of this programme of highlights, “With cat-like tread, upon our prey we steal”. The 40 or so children from Jet and Amethyst classes, with choreography by David Furnell, travel around the performance area with supreme confidence and provide a suitably enthusiatic end to their performance – only to return one minute later to reprise the number as their encore.
During the performance Barry Clark tells us of his mission to bring the fantastic music of Arthur Sullivan and the incredible lyrics of W.S. Gilbert to young people as part of Sound Academy and Tarantara’s education programme and, having seen first hand how enthusiastically the children perform and how appreciative the audience are, I wish him the very best of success.
***** Five Stars
