Light. Frothy. Colorful. Witty. Harmonious.

Co-directors Juanita Seavey and Jeff Wallach serve up a pleasant confectionary, Gilbert and Sullivan's light opera, "The Pirates of Penzance" at the Camarillo Community Theatre.

The team of W.S. Gilbert, librettist, and Arthur Sullivan, composer, created 14 comic operas in Victorian England. "Pirates," first produced in 1879, is subtitled "The Slave of Duty" and is more a satire on the British sense of honor than a tale of piracy on the high seas. These pirates don't plunder, rob, bury treasure or do much at all except sing—the two-hour show is chock-full of 28 tunes.

When the play opens on a rocky seashore on the coast of Cornwall, the pirates are celebrating Frederic's (Christopher Calhoun) 21st birthday and the end of his indenture to the Pirate King (Andrew Metzger). Frederic, having witnessed the pirates' villainy, is determined to wipe them out now that he has served his time and is free to go.

He became a pirate because his hard-of-hearing nurse, Ruth (Elizabeth Stockton), made a slight mistake. When the boy's father told Ruth that he wanted his son apprenticed to a pilot, she thought he said pirate.

Frederic has never seen any woman other than his 47yearold nurse, and he's bedazzled by a bevy of lovely young lasses, all sisters, who come tripping merrily down the side aisles to have a picnic. As in all romantic musicals, Frederic instantly falls in love with sister Mabel (Emma Pell).

The pirates return, intent on marrying the sisters, much to the girls' dismay.

But first the pirates must deal with the girls' father, Major General Stanley, who lies that he is an orphan. As the pirates are all also orphans, they have pity on him and release the family.

Act II takes place at night in a ruined chapel, where the Pirate King and Ruth confront Frederic with startling news— Frederic was actually born on Feb. 29, a leap day, so he's really only 5 years old (and a little bit over) and is still bound by his indenture. Frederic can't argue with this logic, and, with a heavy heart, he leaves Mabel (who promises to wait for him) and rejoins the pirate band, which is intent on killing the general.

The police arrive to battle the pirates and after a ludicrous and improbable twist, the show closes with a happy ending.

Those new to Gilbert and Sullivan will enjoy the lilting melodies, the complex wordplay and the incredible rhymes. "Pirates" contains perhaps the two best-known pieces of the G&S canon: the tonguetwisting patter song "I Am the Very Model of the Modern Major General" (who knows all about everything except warfare) and "A Policeman's Lot Is Not a Happy One."

Calhoun was an outstanding performer, whose strong singing carried the show with ease and grace. Metzger was all huff, bluff and swagger as he ruled the waves. In his makeup and costume, he bore a striking resemblance to Capt. Jack Sparrow of "Pirates of the Caribbean." Pell had a lovely singing voice that hit the high notes and long trills with precision, but at times her voice didn't carry in the large auditorium.

Due to the illness of an actor, this performance required a last-minute cast change, with Anthony Moresi filling in as the Major General and Joseph Cisneros as the Sergeant of Police.

Even with script in hand, Moresi was a standout substitute, with a nearperfect rendition of the "Major General" song.

Despite the good performances, the show fell a little short.

In this play, every word needed clear enunciation, but some of the chorus songs sounded muddled. The pirate chorus needed more men (the daughters outnumbered them), which may have been due to a shortage of available actors. The blocking is awkward in the opening scene, and the small stage cramped some of the dance numbers. At least one lady in the chorus didn't sing.

The policemen hobbled about and swung their nightsticks like Charlie Chaplin, which was hardly Gilbert and Sullivan's interpretation since Chaplin was born nine years after the show premiered.

"Pirates" is an ambitious project with difficult music. CCT gave its best effort for a good show that's still a delightful, family-friendly tunefest.

The show runs weekends through March 15 at 330 Skyway Drive, Camarillo. For tickets, call (805) 388-5716.