The Pirates of Penzance

W.S. Gilbert’s felicitous wordplay was sparkling in Savoyards production of The Pirates of Penzance. His verbal wit is half the fun of any G&S comic opera and this company did him proud. Using the 1980 Broadway adaptation of the work, a cast top-heavy with professional experience delivered a fun and effervescent version of this classic piece under Alex Raymond’s direction.

Andrew Dark was suitably swashbuckling as The Pirate King and sang with assurance and vigour. Cathi Brown’s sweet and lilting soprano was perfect for Mabel scoring with “Poor Wandering One” and “Sorry Her Lot” (interpolated from H.M.S. Pinafore), and Angela Clarke with her broad Aussie accent made a meal of Ruth. Warryn James was delightful as the Major-General and excelled in his patter songs, whilst Ben Webb made the Sergeant of Police amusingly balletic.

The costumes looked good, especially the maidens with their hooped skirts and pretty umbrellas, and the choreographic routines were simple but extremely effective including the traditional kick-line for “With Cat-like Tread.”

Peter Pinne

Images: Top - [L to R]: Sharyn Raymond as Edith, Vanessa Wainwright as Edith and Naomi Bakker as Kate & lower - Warryn James as Major General Stanley.