Jersey Shore Light Opera will present “H.M.S. Pinafore” in Toms River, July 30-31 and Aug. 1-2.
At the heart of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” is a love story that pokes fun at class distinctions, built around a simple refrain: “Love levels all ranks.” For Francis Rella, founder and executive director of Jersey Shore Light Opera, this phrase became the starting point for his first production and his broader artistic vision. He hopes to build a professional theater company that levels all ranks of class and status, and the traditional boundaries of opera itself.
The Toms River-based company’s debut season will open with a fully staged production of “H.M.S. Pinafore,” featuring 20 actors and an ensemble of professional musicians conducted by Rella, who will also direct. His approach to the operetta will bring out Gilbert & Sullivan’s sparkling wordplay, pointed social satire and soaring melodies. “It will feel very bright and new, but at the same time, we are keeping to the traditions of what this show is all about,” he says.
Four performances will take place at The Grunin Center for the Arts in Toms River, July 30-31 and Aug. 1-2.
FRANCIS RELLA
Choosing a first production is often a declaration of intent. There is no mistaking Rella’s. “Go big or go home,” he jokes. Scenography will pull out all the stops, which is often unexpected for smaller, regional theater companies. Atmospheric sets will reference the tall masts and broad white sails of the Pinafore, the magnificent ship of the British Fleet during the reign of Queen Victoria. Lavish costumes will be from the Performing Arts Supply Co., a historic costume rental and theatrical curtain shop in Texas that is the official supplier of The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston, among others. There will be fanciful officers in golden epaulets; ladies in Victorian ruffles and bustles; and sailors in service dress and straw boaters.
The venue, too, is daring for a new company testing out the waters: A rental agreement with The Grunin Center, a professional theater located on the campus of Ocean County College. For Rella it was important to have a proper orchestra pit to feature the 13-piece ensemble of local musicians.
This will be Rella’s first time conducting “Pinafore,” although not his first time leading an orchestra. Among his credits are others works by Gilbert & Sullivan, including “The Pirates of Penzance.”
He ranks “Pinafore” at the top of the Gilbert & Sullivan catalog, alongside “The Mikado” and “Patience.” His company plans to produce them all, plus Golden Age musicals and operettas of all types.
The repertoire represents a big part of his musical career, which began as a character actor at the off-Broadway theater company, Light Opera of Manhattan. “They did seven shows a week, 365 days a year,” Rella says. “I stumbled onto an audition one day, and spent seven years there playing various roles.”
Julia Homer, who plays Josephine, rehearses for “H.M.S. Pinafore.”
“Pinafore,” which opened in 1878 in London, was the fourth collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan, and their first blockbuster. “When it came out, everybody was doing it,” says Rella. “There was an all-girls ‘Pinafore’ and an all-African-American ‘Pinafore.’ Touring companies brought it all over the world.”
There were so many unauthorized stagings in America (without the consent of the authors and without paying them any royalties) that Gilbert and Sullivan went to New York with their own official production. Even people who had not seen the work were familiar with the famous exchange between Capt. Corcoran and his crew — “What, never?” “Well, hardly ever!” —from his song, “I Am the Captain of the Pinafore.”
“Gilbert was a genius,” Rella says. “With ‘Pirates,’ he had less time to do it and by comparison, I think ‘Pinafore’ is better written and feels more polished. I also think, musically, Sullivan’s score is more challenging than ‘Pirates.’ ”
The story takes place on the deck of the H.M.S. Pinafore, which is anchored off Portsmouth, England. The captain’s daughter Josephine and the common sailor Ralph Rackstraw fall in love, which is prohibited under Britain’s rigid class system. Josephine is expected to marry Sir Joseph Porter, the pompous head of the British Navy (who knows nothing about ships), until a long-hidden secret reveals that Ralph and the captain were switched at birth. With their social positions unexpectedly reversed, Josephine and Ralph are free to marry.
John Sheehan, left, and Richie Rella rehearse for “H.M.S. Pinafore.”
Rella says that beyond the topsy-turvy comic plot, the work asks questions that still feel relevant almost 150 years later — about whether status reflects merit, how social ranks can seem arbitrary, and what happens when people challenge the roles that society assigns them.
“The vision was to show that there was a class system and certain behaviors were forbidden,” he says. “For instance, you couldn’t marry someone outside of your class. You had ranks as far as the royalty and the lordships, the military officers and the sailors. Some of those boundaries could get crossed, and some couldn’t, and that’s what makes the message so great: We’re all capable of breaking boundaries. And not only that, but sometimes our lives end up different than we planned.”
Cast members — 10 men and 10 women — are all locals and range from professional actors to first-timers, and from preteens to septuagenarians. All are paid a salary. “We’re a paying company and I think it brings out a different level of commitment,” Rella says. “At the moment, all actors are non-union, but starting next year, we’re going to have a formal agreement with Actors’ Equity (the union for professional actors and stage managers), so we’ll be hiring some union actors as well. It opens us up to a broader group of people that can do it.”
Another reason Rella chose “Pinafore” is because it reflects the organization’s identity and their service to others. He and the three other family members who run the company — his wife Tammy and daughters Maria and Rose — all share the experience of military service. “We’re a veteran-managed company,” Rella says. “Everybody in the staffed positions are veterans. We also have veterans in the production itself, both actors and musicians.”
Rella was stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and was also a civilian worker there. His current assignment is Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
Molly Moran will play Little Buttercup in “H.M.S. Pinafore.”
He wants his company to go further than just producing theater, and contribute to veterans’ well-being. He hopes to create a community where military veterans can find meaningful work, mentorship, creative expression and support. He actively reaches out to former service members and contacts in the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst community to create opportunities for other veterans. He believes they have valuable skills and that the arts can play an important role in connection and purpose after military service.
“I think it’s a great thing if we can get veterans and military people here, and get them more interested in live theater,” he says. “We actively reach out to veterans to assure them that there’s a great place for them here. They can work, and I think the arts is rehabilitative to many people.”
Rella’s vision also includes partnering with local veterans’ organizations to offer programs that use music and theater as therapeutic and community-building activities.
Rella is a pastor at Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church in Toms River, and the company rents rehearsal and office space there. But it is a separate, secular, nonprofit entity. Rella aims to produce four shows per season, starting next summer, but says that will depend on funding and ticket sales.
He says his family had been talking about starting a company for years. “We were always asking each other, ‘When can we do a show together? When can we get hired together?’ So we decided, ‘Let’s do this!’ ”
Tammy is a music teacher and a professional musician who plays saxophone in the Old Bridge Symphonic Band. She is the company’s musical director, and worked on the choreography and movement of “Pinafore.” Maria, who handles marketing, is a lawyer and currently pursuing her MFA in theater management. Rose, a visual artist whose works are exhibited nationally, is the production stage manager of “Pinafore.”
The Rella family also includes Richie, a high school senior who has acted in high school and community theater. He will play Bill Bobstay, a boatswain’s mate, in his first major role.
Joe Haughton will play Ralph Rackstraw in “H.M.S. Pinafore.”
Other cast members include Joe Haughton as Ralph. Haughton, who is based in Asbury Park, is a 20-year veteran who has been out of the military for about a year. He was part of The Singing Sergeants, the performing group of the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington, D.C.
Julia Homer, who will take on the role of Josephine, is also a full-time Spanish teacher. “She has a beautiful bel canto voice and is a great actress with vast experience,” says Francis Rella.
Brian Beirne, who will play Porter, is a voice teacher who retired from the stage a long time ago. He was encouraged to get back into acting by his son-in-law Justin Moran, who is in the cast as Capt. Corcoran. Beirne’s daughter Molly Moran — playing Little Buttercup, the eccentric bumboat woman who knows everybody’s business — also urged Beirne to try out for the role. She has performed in community theater since she was 12.
John Sheehan — who will play Dick Deadeye, the ugliest person who ever enlisted but a goodhearted seaman — is a Jesuit and currently the resident priest at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. “He has a degree in theater from Notre Dame, and seven decades of experience in professional acting and singing before he became a priest, so he has a tremendous amount of experience,” says Rella.
Other principals include Jeremy Simon as Bob Becket, the Carpenter’s Mate; and Lauren Boyle as Cousin Hebe, Sir Joseph’s First Cousin.
Even with the challenges of founding a new performing arts company, Rella is committed to creating a supportive culture for his artists. He has seen nothing but mutual respect and the kind of cooperation that strengthens the entire company.
“Most importantly in this whole picture has been the positive vibe we have been getting from everyone from day one,” he says. “There are no egos here, which is incredible because then you can really work. As far as the cast is concerned, everyone is out to help the other guy. You even see it on their breaks and in their personal lives, and how they treat each other. They’re constantly lifting the other person up: It has been such a blessing and a great thing to see.”
Jersey Shore Light Opera will present “H.M.S. Pinafore” at The Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College in Toms River, July 30-31 and Aug. 1 at 7 p.m., and Aug. 2 at 3 p.m. Visit grunincenter.org.
For more about Jersey Shore Light Opera, visit jslo.org.
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