Word: seltzers
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...ploy works, but this production ofPatienceis less successful. Not devoid by any means of energy and talent, Patience is still spotty by Gilbert & Sullivan Society standards, suffering from uneven acting and the familiarity of director P.D. Seltzer's gimmickry...
This particular production experienced severe difficulties getting off the ground. Seltzer, who did such a splendid job with Piratesthis fall, took over directorial chores forPatiencefairly late, replacing another director. In the time remaining, he was unable to put together a production as tightly knit or as inventive as G&S aficionados have come to expect...
...part requires extraordinary control, an ability to comically etch the distinctions between the rogue as rogue and the rogue as aesthete through consistent variations of voice and gait. Jackel too often mixes the two; under Seltzer's direction, he relies overmuch on standard poses to suggest his aestheticism, his favorite involving arms exhibitionistically extended to each side and face open in a self-satisfied grin. In failing to differentiate sharply enough between the man who plays a part and the part that the man plays, Jackel not only forfeits many of the humorous possibilities of the role but mutes...
Reginald's antics appear strained largely in contrast to the effortlessness which seems to mark Seltzer's characterization of Reginald's rival in love, the more spiritual Archibald. When he glides on stage to declare his affections for Patience, his infanthood sweetheart, Seltzer makes us keenly aware of what most of the other actors have been doing wrong. With a remarkable economy of movement and gesture, he skillfully conveys the fundamental absurdity of Archibald's unhappy narcissism, evoking laughs simply by a raised eyebrow or changed inflection...
Sharing the limelight with Seltzer is Nancy Gustafson as Patience, the pure-hearted, affectation-hating country girl. Clad in a yellow and white dirndle, Gustafson acts the part with a winsome wholesomeness and devotion to duty. Her scenes with Archibald, particularly when she alternately begs him to "think of me sometimes" and warns him to "think of me sometimes" and warns him to "advance at your peril," are especially fine. But Gustafson's talents are most in evidence when she launches into song. Her strong, pure soprano elevates Patience's plight to operatic heights, her superb diction rarely obscuring Gilbert...