Classic Broadway is classic for a reason

I appreciated the article from March 9 by Molly Gilmore about the “Pirates of Penzance” performance that will be coming to Olympia. In her article, she says that W.S. Gilbert softened his satire and hid it in silliness to avoid censorship. He allowed us to “laugh at the absurdity of human existence.”

She is right in her assessment. This is why the show has gone on to become a classic which is performed again and again. Shows that become classics do so for a reason. They are a show that teaches us something or makes us feel something. Whether we are talking about Golden Age classics such as “Oklahoma!” and “Showboat;” or newer classics like “Ragtime” or “Phantom of the Opera;” or even current hits like the ubiquitous “Hamilton” mentioned in Gilmore’s article.

People want to return to shows that make them think differently, feel something, and separate themselves from monotony of daily living. It takes good music. It takes good acting. It takes good staging. But it’s all nothing without a good story (with the exception, perhaps, of “Cats”). So, I applaud the Gilbert&Sullivan Players for their efforts to bring these classic operettas to the world. We need more stories that inspire and help us feel again.

We need storytellers to keep them alive. And sometimes, we just need some good, clean fun.

This story was originally published March 25, 2017 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Classic Broadway is classic for a reason."