The Pirates of Penzance

I STRONGLY recommend "The Pirates of Penzance". Kevin Kline steals the show as the "Pirate King". He is fabulously funny!!! His looks, voice and energetic acting make him the perfect Pirate King. Angela Lansbury adds to the fun as Ruth, a maid-of-all-work who has seen better days. Linda Ronstadt as Mabel shows off her versatile voice and gets into the silly spirit of Gilbert and Sullivan. Rex Smith does an adequate job as Frederick, the slave of duty who is forced by fate to serve as a pirate.

If you think opera is boring, give this a try! Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are hilarious and this version has lots of fun with Gilbert's humor. There is one "Abbott and Costello"-like turn on the word "orphan" that cracks me up! The contrast between the cocky confidence of Kline and his pirates and the quaking-yet-committed police force is a joy to behold. The "Major General's Song" has been parodied so many times (perhaps most notably as Tom Lehrer's listing of all of the chemical elements) that it is instantly recognizable even if you do not know the operetta. The cast has such fun with this it is hard not to be drawn into it.

All-in-all, "The Pirates of Penzance" is a modern update that loses neither the spirit nor the substance of Gilbert and Sullivan's original. See this movie - soon.

I recently had the task, for a organization's class, to assemble various performances of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta "The Pirates of Penzance". This has always been my favorite G&S work, and I have heard many live performances, plus I have played the Pirate King in a revue type staging of the work.

I recall seeing the Kevin Kline version many years ago, and did not recall the details. Obtaining a copy to view for my project, I was very impressed with the wit and overall quality of the performances. There are a few small issues, such as the fudging of Linda Ronstadt's and Rex Smith's vocal parts (It is clear, whenever Smith sings, that lots of electronic enhancement is being used to bring his voice into the same universe with the other more capable singers, but still he has right delivery and it works well; for Ronstadt, she does very well, but for "Poor Wandering One" her part has been transposed down a bit, probably so that she can manage the highest notes), and the overdubbing of a couple other performer's singing by better singers, but overall the dancing and singing is as good as any I have seen.

The staging is deliberately campy, somewhere between traditional stagecraft and a movie set, and it adds extra charm to the proceedings. There has been some carping about Angela Lansbury's singing, but what she does is in line with the requirements of the role, and is in fact typical of other performances of Ruth's character (I recall the director, during casting of the performance I was in, saying of Ruth, "we don't need a GOOD singer, only a FUNNY singer).

A quick review of the offerings of Pirates on Amazon reveals that the only DVD version of this cast is taken from an outdoor staging in New York (and without Lansbury). It is one of the mysteries of DVD releases that the film version does not exist on on DVD; it certainly one of the best.

I am a true G & S Aficionado but this surprised and delighted me. The cast are brilliant but Kevin Kline has the edge. Agile, in great voice, lots of humour and quick, funny bits in his performance (blink and you miss them). His dancing and acrobatics are superb. The police also had me howling with laughter along with their police dogs and the major general romping through the fields with the pirates singing UNDERWATER in the babbling brook has to be a classic. This scene has to be seen to be believed. Bravo, cast !! This should have had a lot more publicity. I would adore seeing it in the large theatre, at least we had "Topsy Turvy" this year. This Pirate is fun for all ages.

This movie's great even though it's quite clear that this movie was low budget. Still, why wasn't it a hit? It's wonderful! Linda Ronstadt's Mabel is superb, I wish I could hit those high notes as flawlessly as she does and plus she is so pretty! Who can play the Pirate King as charismatically as Kevin Kline? You just have to love his crazy antics and that voice, oh! It's obvious he has great talent and that Tony Award he won for his portrayal of The Pirate King on Broadway was well-deserved. I wonder if he can still sing and dance... Rex Smith is divine as Frederic; his singing voice is powerful yet has a tender appeal. He is quite talented in his portrayal of a gullible yet loveable Frederic. Angela Lansbury is lovely in her portrayal of the deaf nursemaid and she has such a wonderful voice; it fits the role perfectly. The pirates, the daughters, the policemen, were all wonderful. I especially love the policemen's song-and-dance numbers. Tony Azito's nasal voice and rubber-like movements are perfect as the Sergeant. I have nothing bad to say about this movie, only I wish it were longer and it did not end so soon! See this movie! It's funny, romantic, and has good music.

I fell in love with Linda Ronstadt the first time I saw this film in 1983. I also fell in love with Angela Lansbury and, perhaps even Kevin Kline.

This fantastical, comedic, interpretation of the wonderful Gilbert and Sullivan musical updates the music, the humor, and performance, while actually enhancing the theatrical quality of the original play and leaving the plot, characters, and script largely intact.

The film feels like an exciting, quite silly, and very fun play seen from the best possible angles on an elaborate but very stagy set. The actors intentionally overact - as if their most subtle movements must be seen by an audience in a three story balcony. The music is also somewhat overblown, but absolutely wonderful. Did I mention Linda Ronstadt? Her vocal performance is frankly unbelievable! She might not be much of an actress, but acting talent was really not required for the role of Maybelle.

The story is about Frederick (Rex Smith), a young man who has just left his indenture under the flamboyant, somewhat unsuccessful and soft-hearted 'Pirate King' (Kline) and his band of fairly inoffensive ruffians. Vowing to slay his beloved friend to atone for the sins he probably did not commit during his indenture, Frederick leaves his doomed friends and comes ashore, only to fall immediately in love with Maybelle, but the pirates are only a few steps behind him.

The entire story is told with very minimal dialog and a lot of great music, slapstick, and camp. The voices are cast perfectly, and Kline's physical performance is nothing short of amazing.

What can I say? I've just watched 'Pirates' again after a hiatus of about 18 years, and the old magic came back immediately. I love this film, and heartily recommend it to all. Not everybody will feel as I do, but I can't even attempt objectivity in reviewing this film.

Enjoy!