The Pirates of Penzance

Straight performances of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas can admittedly be dry as dust, but it's also possible to go too far in an effort to liven them up, as in this 1994 production of The Pirates of Penzance at the Lyric Theatre in Queensland, Australia. In fact, this rendition of the classic about pirate ship antics on the high seas features so much bounding about the stage and gratuitous bits of business (like Jon English's Pirate King dueling with the conductor) that the effect is downright vaudevillian, more exhausting than amusing. Gilbert's libretto fares better than Sullivan's music—some lyrics have been altered, but most of the text remains—and some of the singing (Simon Gallaher's Frederic, for instance) is quite good, but in other cases (as with the Major-General's three daughters), the decision to transform the music into “swing” is ill-advised. To make matters worse, the whole piece has been re-orchestrated for an ensemble composed entirely of synthesizers, drums, and other percussion, a combination that produces a jangling obnoxious sound. Granted, the live audience seems to be having a jolly good time, applauding local favorites and clapping enthusiastically during a big final sing-along, but if you're looking for a reading of one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most famous collaborations that's snazzier than a purist Savoyard version, the 1983 film of Joseph Papp's Broadway production with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt is vastly preferable. Presented on an extra-less disc in Dolby Digital stereo, this is not recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)