In the first act we're introduced to a poet named Reginald Bunthorne (Sam Vinitsky), with "20 lovesick maidens" following him around and hanging on his every word, dressed in dusty pastel empire waist gowns with loose trailing sleeves, their Boticelli hair cascading down their backs. This is much to the dismay of a group of soldiers to whom the maidens were previously engaged, before they fell for the aesthetic. The only woman in town not under Bunthorne's spell is the dairy maid Patience (Mallory Rabehl, dressed like something out of a Swiss Miss ad), who in fact has never loved anyone (other than an aunt). But then she remembers a childhood playmate whom she loved, and what a coincidence - he shows up! But since Patience was told that real love is unselfish (and therefore is a sacrifice that brings no pleasure), she decides she cannot love this boy, who has grown up into the beautiful poet Archibald Grosvenor (Joe Allen). Instead, the true sacrifice of love would be to love the unpleasant Bunthorne. In Act II, the ladies have transferred their devotion from Bunthorne to Grosvenor, making the former jealous and the latter annoyed. More silliness and hijinks ensue, resulting in everyone being paired up with whom they should be.
Bunthorne (Sam Vinitsky), Patience (Mallory Rabehl), and Grosvenor (Joe Allen, photo courtesy of GSVLOC) |
The set is relatively simple but quite beautiful (with dozens of singers onstage, no room for elaborate set pieces). The backdrops are gorgeously hand-painted by Wendy Waszut-Barret and look like watercolor paintings of spring, with four portraits like stained glass windows. Costumes include bright red uniforms with gold trim and two different kinds of hats, the poets' colorful velvety outfits (with wigs), and the maidens late change from their flowy almost nightgown-like dresses to the more prim and proper bustled skirts and hats of the time, their hair in neat buns (costume design by Barb Portinga).
Patience is a ridiculous, silly, delightful confection of a comic opera. A faithful presentation of a classic, but if you listen closely you may catch a few modern references. Gilbert and Sullivan were always about social commentary, and here the way that the maidens follow the poets around may remind you of our own celebrity culture and the power wielded by influencers, even when to the outside eye they are completely ridiculous.