"The Far-Gone-doliers," Long Beach Shakespeare Company

“The Far-gone Gondoliers,” an adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s light opera “The Gondoliers, directed by Denis for the Long Beach Shakespeare Company at the Richard Goad Theatre, captures, condenses, and galvanizes the mirth and mayhem of the original.

The production’s spot-on humor didn’t come from the sense of faux-solemnity of the original production. Anything tongue-in-cheek (full blown operatic conventions pitted against un-monumental story) was thrown to the wind. Instead it was all guns firing salvo upon salvo of comic, fast-paced calamity. It was classic light opera on Red Bull, hence the “far-gone” of the title, hence the story that unfolded like billowing palace banners, and hence the laughs from start to finish.

It’s nothing short of miraculous how McCourt not only staged a production that would typically require a large chorus, an orchestra, and elaborate sets, not to mention the cast and a gondola, but that he did it so well.

The play captures the exuberant spirit of Gilbert and Sullivan’s story of love and dynastic succession. It’s bawdy and rollicking. The sets and, especially, the costumes, are brilliant. Economies of scale in this black box theatre are well-utilized. The music and the chorus are pre-recorded; the cast ably joins right in. The gondola skirting through the canals was cleverly conceived. You get the feeling that you’re either there at the ducal palace or in the boat.

Clearly the cast enjoyed themselves. And we enjoyed them, as well. All hands were on deck as the various love interests gelled nicely. Palmiere (Joe Burgos) and his brother Giuseppe (Dan Wozniak) were very funny as two gondoliers who, in the opening scene get engaged to Tessa (Laura Loo) and Gianetta (Melissa M. Miller), respectively.

To say they lived happily ever after, though, would be too easy. And certainly not as funny. What’s funny about marriages of true minds without impediments?

It seems that Casilda (Rachel Buffett), daughter of The Duke of Plaza-Toro (Will Proctor) and his Duchess (Barbara Josefsberg), was married by proxy at the age of six months to the equally young son of the King of Bataria. When the King’s religion got him killed, the Grand Inquisitor, Don Alhambra del Bolero (David Narloch) spirited away the young and future king to Venice. Problem is, the father of the family with whom the Inquisitor placed the young royal was an intemperate drinker. He couldn’t distinguish between his own son and the spirited-away one.

Delightful confusion reigns as identities get revealed, true love gets sorted out, and dynasties of a regal and more common nature go on their merry way.

It’s an enjoyable comedy of errors, a pleasure to behold. Set in ducal Venice, it’s a gentle tsunami that describes the foibles of love against a backdrop of politics and intrigue. Are things really all that different nowadays?

Performances are 8 PM Fri. & Sat., 2 PM, Sun. The show runs until Mar. 28. Tickets are $10-20. The theatre is located at 4250 Atlantic Ave. For more info call 997-1494 or visit www.lbshakespeare.org.