When a felon's not engaged

Gilbert & Sullivan's advice, when the foeman bears his steel, is to take heart of grace. As for that disgraced Congressman, retiring to his yacht, this anthem:

When a felon's not engaged in his employment (his employment)
Or maturing his felonious little plans (little plans)
His capacity for innocent enjoyment ('cent enjoyment)
Is just as great as any honest man's (honest man's).

It's sung by a chorus of Keystone Kops, whose courage must be kept up by "the trumpet's martial sound" lest they lose the heart to do their duty and capture the pirates.

Those would be the Pirates of Penzance, and all this is, of course, just a Gilbert & Sullivan romp with a plot that's simultaneously antiquated and silly, contemporary and profound. "O men of dark and dismal fate, forego your cruel employ" could be the Libs talking to the Neocons, no? "Oh false one, you have deceived me" could be Karl sticking it to Valerie. "Go to death and go to slaughter" could be a heartless memo from the Pentagon if it weren't so hilarious.

Darling of the show is locally-grown soprano Christina Villareale (pictured with her fans) as the girl whose "homely face and bad complexion have caused all hope to disappear of ever winning man's affection." Hah! What a voice, what a performer!

Playing the very model of a modern Major General is none other than KIRO talk show host Dave Ross. Had he won the Congressional election, he'd be singing his patter to the Beltway crowd:

When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery ...

He knows he's telling a terribly story, but then, as we've learned over the decades, the World's Policeman's lot is not a happy one. The show, however, is a graceful delight. Take any heart, take mine.

Pirates of Penzance, Bagley Wright Theater through July 29th, 206-443-2222