Transformation: a benefit concert

Twice a year, the Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company stages productions of the classic operettas written by William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. The productions, which feature a talented “house” company of performers, are uniformly superb and have served to introduce the works of G&S to theatergoers who might otherwise never get to see these extraordinarily tuneful and entertaining shows.

To help with the cost of these productions (mostly the expenses of set design, costumes and music), the company occasionally puts on benefit performances to raise money for future productions. Eight stalwart members of the company did just that on Sunday, staging a concert version of many of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “greatest hits” along with highlights from three Broadway musicals at the Camarillo United Methodist Church.

Accompanied by pianist/music director Zach Spencer, the singers performed a sampling of songs from seven previously staged G&S productions, plus two numbers from the company’s upcoming production of “Princess Ida.”

Any G&S salute must include the composers’ famous patter songs, and the company readily obliged. Dividing these duties were John Pillsbury and Gary Saxer, each known for different styles. Pillsbury is more deadpan and usually plays the stuffier, stiff-upper-lip roles. Saxer is more playful and animated, light on his feet and possessing a great sense of comedic timing.

Pillsbury led off the show with “The Nightmare Song” from “Iolanthe,” which probably has a greater concentration of words than any other in the repertoire. Saxer delivered G&S’s most famous patter songs: “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” (“Pirates of Penzance”), complete with pith helmet and white parasol, and “When I Was a Lad” (from “H.M.S. Pinafore”).

In a scripted encore to escalate the already rapid tempo of “Major General” to “prestissimo agitato,” Saxer readily complied, doubling the speed without missing a beat.

Among Patricia LathropMcPherson’s solos, her golden soprano voice shone on “The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze” from “The Mikado” and a touchingly beautiful rendition of “Poor Wandering One,” in which she engaged in coloratura answers to musical quotes by pianist Spencer. The G&S segment concluded with Saxer, Pillsbury and Steve Perren donning maidens’ garb to sing “I Am a Maiden” from “Princess Ida.”

The second half of the concert was devoted to songs from three shows that satisfied the construct of “Transformation.” In highlights from “Jekyll & Hyde,” a show that concerns the dichotomy of man’s split personalities (representing “Nature”), Tamarah Ashton delivered a lovely rendition of “Once Upon a Dream” and Rebecca Pillsbury sang a shimmering version of the poignant “No One Knows Who I Am.”

Songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” were next (representing “Nurture”), in which LathropMcPherson charmed the audience with “A Cock-Eyed Optimist” and Steve Perren brought them to tears with an emotional “Some Enchanted Evening.”

The final segment was devoted to “Beauty and the Beast” (representing “Change”), with the highlight being “Gaston,” the tribute to the self-aggrandizing egocentric antagonist of the show (played by John Pillsbury), with Spencer singing from his position at the keyboard, something we haven’t seen him do up until now. He proved to be an effective vocalist, playing off Pillsbury’s preening as Gaston.

Other highlights were Ashton singing the enchanting title song and Rebecca Pillsbury delivering a lovely “Belle.” Joining the company was the magnificent John Bowers, who we wish had been given more to do than the charming “No Matter What” and various ensemble background work.

The company’s next production, “Princess Ida,” plays March 12 to 28 at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts.

For tickets, call (805) 381-1246 or visit www.vcgsrc.org.