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W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's comic operetta once were enormously popular. In recent decades, though, they have been upstaged by musical productions that are perhaps superior in most respects, but it was a delight to revisit "The Pirates of Penzance." It is unsurpassed for sheer silliness, and the tunes and lyrics have well withstood the passage of time.

Gilbert and Sullivan had an enormously successful partnership but, strangely, were not especially good friends, partly because Sullivan wanted to compose serious music and resented having to put music to lyrics he regarded as preposterous and overly repetitive, which is, of course, their charm. They were opposite personality types.

It worked for them thanks to their association with the impressario D'Oyly Carte, who built a theater for their productions. George Bernard Shaw said about Grand Opera that it was popular entertainment that had degenerated to an art form. Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas have suffered no such degeneration, and moveover, are in English. Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp's production of "The Pirates of Penzance" keeps it lowbrow by introducing slapstick that probably would not have been part of genteel Victorian theater. These antics kept things moving on the small stage packed with performers, most of whom were beautiful girls.

There was never a dull moment in Act I, set as it was on the palm tree-speckled coast of Cornwall. With so many performers in a limited space, with asymmetrical risers, the choreography was important for safety, and Ernesta Corvino made the stage movement flow beautifully. The special effects included waves undulating in the background and a giant pirate ship that could sail to and fro. The blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds later, in Act II, became a spectacular rose sunset.

At the end, when the pirates win the battle but then acquiesce as the name of Queen Victoria is invoked, a portrait of the queen appears; she looks remarkably like June Lindenmayer, Perry-Mansfield's executive director.

"Pirates of Penzance" contains some fine pastoral poetry, for example, in Act II, part II:

General: And the brook in rippling measure

Laughs for very love,

While the poplars in their

pleasure,

Wave their arms above.

All (Pirates and Police):

Yes, the trees, for very love,

Wave their leafy arms above.

Much of the music is equal to such lyrics. Particularly good is the "How Beautifully the Sky ..." piece, in which a tune in march time is set against a tune in waltz time.

The voice was quite good. Conor Ryan's outstanding diction clearly conveyed every syllable in the role of Frederic. I would like to single out for praise Maria Slye as Mabel, Michael Hewitt as the Pirate King, and Gracie Stockdale for her stellar job in acting and singing.

This was, without exaggeration, a marvelous production. It appears that all involved were thoroughly immersed in the humor of the show and the audience. It was nothing but good clean fun. Nobody died. Everyone ended up getting married.