The Pirates of Penzance

The Pirates of Penzance (1980 TV Movie) was directed by Wilford Leach and Joshua White.

Pirates with Kevin Kline as The Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt has to be great, right? Wrong.

This was a recording of a live performance in the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whoever filmed appears to have been an amateur--the definition and colors are terrible.

The stage is small and the mini-orchestra is smaller. The CD reminded me of a high school production filmed by a proud parent. Sort of a historical record rather than an musical treat.

The movie has an excellent IMDb rating of 8.0. Apparently, people were willing to overlook the dismal production values. Kline and Ronstadt really are great. On that basis I rated it 7. If you're a real Gilbert & Sullivan fan, you'll probably want to see it. If G&S isn't your thing, pick a different operetta or a different production of this one.

This is a very bad recording of a very good performance.

The show was obviously professionally shot, and the credits list a multi-channel sound recording crew. But the sound on this is in mono and has very audible "time code" noise, a high-pitched audio signal that was used to link the videotape to a simultaneously recorded audiotape. Given the vintage of the shoot, it was probably shot on 1" videotape and 2", 24-track audiotape. As few video productions facilities still have 1" playback equipment, and judging by the video quality, this was made from a 3/4" "safety" copy.

Why? The suppliers cheaped out. They didn't spend the time or energy to find the original tapes, or if they had them, to transfer them, or to do a mix-down of the 24-track master audio.

It is possible to make an excellent DVD from this material. The DVD currently available is not it.

An orphan Fredric is hours away from being 21 years old. Soon his indentured to pirates (due to a misunderstanding) will end and he can then hunt the pirates down. In addition, Fredric has just discovered what young women look like and has fallen for Mabel Stanley, daughter of the Major general. All of this is about to change.

I have always enjoyed the variations of "The Pirates of Penzance." Among my favorites is this Broadway Theater Archive from 1980. It was recorded at the New York Shakespeare Festival (a live performance in NYC Central Park.) The cover of my copy of the DVD Release date : October 22, 2002, looks like the standard cover of the series. It is distributed by Kultur. Run time 2 hours and 2 minutes.

You need to know that this film has all the strengths and weaknesses of a stage production vs. The Movie. The sound sometimes comes and goes and you have to listen closely to understand much of the singing. It helps to know what you are watching in advance. On the positive side, I have always appreciated the minimal scenery of the stage and marvel at how so many can do so much with so little. This is an excellent film for those living in a culturally deprived area and to hold others until they can see the real thing again.

Just so you know this is not a movie. So many of the players push the envelope with their variation on the Gilbert & Sullivan theme and music. Speaking of music the stage surrounds the orchestra so you can watch them and occasionally the audience. Linda Ronstadt as Mabel has a surprisingly high voice at first and I assume is on purpose soon she settles down and you would think that the play was made just for her. Kevin Kline adds the over the top energy needed to keep this fast passed play going. When all is said and done you will be exhausted from listening and laughing.

Next you will want to track down "Pirates of Penzance" - Anthony Warlow, David Hobson, Australian Opera.

This is the theater cast that prompted the movie, also starring Linda Ronstadt, Kevin Kline and Rex Smith. I always felt the movie was rather cheesy, even by '80s standards. Kline shines as the Pirate King. He mugs well with the audience, and has some wonderful business, often involving the pit orchestra. (The stage was built partly around the pit, which makes for some wonderful interaction.) Smith and Ronstadt both have pop/rock roots, and it shows. Smith at least has some theatrical bona fides, having debuted in "Grease." Still, musical theater is nothing if not camp, and Smith and Ronstadt are both sufficiently campy in this production. (I note, with some glee, that they had to key most of Ronstadt's arias a third or more.) We bought this version because it was the only one available (all the others had been "returned to vendor!") and were pleasantly surprised. I'd seen the movie and had to quell my gag reflex through most of it. This works much better as the theatrical version from whence it sprang 120 years ago. Still fresh; still funny. See it!

Thank goodness this version of Joseph Papp's "Pirates" has been unearthed and released to the public! For as lavish as the 1983 film version is, I always felt that it was lacking something....a live audience.

With the exception of Kevin Kline's performance, this live recording of the Central Park production is very charming and well worth the watch. Mr. Kline is wonderful as The Pirate King, but his performance in the 1983 version is far better. After 3 years of performing the role, he perfected it, and truly made it his own.

Reviews back in 1980 complained about Linda Ronstadt's performance as Mabel, noting her lack of acting training. I found her to be perfectly charming and quite adorable. She's a cross between Snow White and Lilian Gish...the perfect mix! She handles the vocal difficulty of the role with ease and clarity. Her upper voice is slightly improved by the time the big screen version was shot, but this early attempt is wonderful! And Mabel really doesn't have a lot of acting depth to her anyway....G & S wrote her as a parody of grand opera sopranos. Player her "straight", as Ronstadt does, and she's fabulous.

The late George Rose and the late Tony Azito are almost exact on both versions...which to me a sign of a great performer. I always heard the Rose did the entire movie version with no retakes, and I can now understand why...he's flawless. Azito could have given Ray Bolger a run for his money back in the day...the man was like rubber.! I would have loved to have seen him play the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz! Sadly both Rose and Azito were taken from us before their time. It's a great loss.

Patricia Routledge leaves Angela Lansbury in the dust in the battle for the better Ruth. Routledge actually had a character unlike Lansbury who simply played Jessica Fletcher as Ruth....serious miscasting there folks! If you are a fan of Patricia Routledge in "Keeping Up Appearances", this is a must see for you!

The video used for the DVD and VHS versions of this show is very rough. It's been digitally cleaned up a much as possible, but it is 23 years old! Only so much can be done! But it's worth the watch anyway!

I LOVED IT!!!!