HMSPinafore

The Dorset Players concluded their season with a delightful production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic operetta "H.M.S. Pinafore". Proudly sponsored by Mettowee Mill Nursery, R.K. Miles, and Cassella Waste Management, performances ran Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 & 28 at 7:30 pm and Sunday on May 22 & 29 at 2:00 pm.

Once a biting satire of British social and military pecking orders, and then a staple of many elementary schools, "H.M.S. Pinafore", subtitled "The Lass Who Loved a Sailor", still resonates in today's world where, of course, a beautiful commoner just wed an heir to the English throne.

Director Jeff Linebeck and Music Director Joanne Beck, who had been living and breathing Gilbert & Sullivan, marshaled a talented cast from seven towns into harmonic trim. Featured were Danielle Houston as Captain Corcoran's daughter, Josephine; Cameron Steinmetz as her true love, Ralph Rackstraw; Kathleen Wilson as the pleasing hostess with a secret, Buttercup; Kevin O'Toole as the officious Sir Joseph Porter; Julie Citron as his romantic stalker, Hebe; Denny Rogers as the Carpenter; and Skip Dickenson as the mischievous Dick Deadeye.

The ensemble also included Bob Fry as Caption Corcoran. Bob, whose many credits with the Players include turns as Emil de Becque in "South Pacific" and as Sarah Brown's grandfather, Arvide Abernathy, in "Guys and Dolls", first met fellow cast member, (and sailor) Bob Davidson, over forty years ago when he portrayed Ralph Rackstraw in a production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" in New York City. It is a wonder that same production did not include Bob Bushnell, who portrays the Boatswain and over the years has appeared in approximately one zillion productions of Gilbert and Sullivan offerings as a member of the famous Blue Hill Troupe.

Cameron Steinmetz...................Ralph Rackstraw
Danielle Houston.......................Josephine
Bob Fry.................................Captain Corcoran
Kathleen Wilson........................Buttercup
Kevin O'Toole...........................Sir Joseph Porter
Bob Bushnell............................Boatswain
Jordan "Skip" Dickinson................Dick Deadeye
Julie Citron.............................Hebe
Denny Rogers...........................Carpenter
Heather Chirtea - Bob Davidson
Kya Davis - Anna Foster
Lily Himmelman - Saul Kimmel
CeCe King - Janet St. Germain
John Sease - William Sease
Adrian Woodrow - Julian Woodrow
Frances Yackel.........................Chorus