by Joel Elkins~

I was curious to find out if a takeoff on Gilbert & Sullivan set in outer space dubbed U.S.S. Pinafore could ever be as clever as its premise or its title.

The adaptation by Jon Mullich (who also directed) is indeed clever, although admittedly, the songs didn’t have to be altered much because the story itself doesn’t differ greatly from the original: Ralph Rackstraw (played by Aidan Park), a lowly member of the crew is unable to marry his true love (Ashley Cuellar) because she, alas, is the daughter of the captain and protocol forbids such unions. A pompous admiral, Sir Joseph (Ron Schneider), is vying for the same hand in marriage. Buttercup, a sweet but wise vagabond notions pedlar (Mona King) is secretly pining for the gallant ship captain Corcoran (Jesse Merlin) and is alone privy to a bit of highly relevant information from the past. All quite faithful to the original. Okay, I don’t remember Dick Deadeye (James Jaeger) being green and reptilian, but other than that. . . .

In fact, even lyrics such as “Refrain, audacious tar” were left unadulterated, because Ralph’s job title is described as Transporter Assistant Repairman, even though the acronym is for some reason not explained until the end.

Of course, some characters, such as the cyborg navigator Datum (Michael Levin) and ship’s computer Al (Jason D. Rennie), who even joins in on one of the numbers, are obviously new to this production. And certain small changes needed to be made for the sake of comedy. For example, the Chief Security Officer’s name was changed from the original Bob Becket to Dave Becket for apparently no other reason than to give Al the opportunity to utter a single line in Act II that we should have seen coming from the beginning.

The script also makes allusions to other Gilbert and Sullivan works, such as repeated passing references to the planet Penzance 12 and when Sir Joseph’s entourage enter singing “Three Little Trust Fund Gals.”

U.S.S. Pinafore was directed and adapted by Jon Mullich, with musical direction by William A. Reilly and choreography by Stephanie Pease. Sarah Templeton designed the lighting and Caitlin Erin O’Hare, the costumes. Tony Potter, a self-professed Star Trek geek, put together a starship bridge that, by all accounts, rivals that of the original series. His transporter effect was simple, yet so innovative and effective it received ovations on both “beam down” and “reentry.”

Previously,  I have called the Crown City Theatre Company the last bastion of good community theatre left in L.A. Nothing in Pinafore changes that opinion. The production shows heart, enthusiasm and dedication with talent enough to carry it through but nothing that could ever be confused with Broadway. While some, more “professional” productions can be more refined, yet off-putting to the audience, here the acting is merely okay (with the notable exceptions of Jaeger who steals the show as the lizard-like Deadeye and Paton Ashbrook as the Vulcan communications officer), yet delivered in a friendly “wink-and-nod” style that is somehow endearing. With few exceptions (notably Merlin and Cueller), the voices are nothing more than passable. On the whole, the production is highly entertaining with the added charm of that community theatre feel.

U.S.S. Pinafore is performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through July 27.

The Crown City Theater is located on the campus of St. Matthew’s Church at 11031 Camarillo Street (where Lankershim and Vineland meet) in North Hollywood.

Ticket prices: $25.00 (Seniors/students: $15.00)

Reservations online at www.brownpapertickets.com or by phone at (800) 838-3006.