The Pirates of Penzance

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 first saw this incarnation of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" at the age of 10, but just recently saw it again when my school decided to perform it for our annual spring musical. At the age of 18, I expected that I would find it immature after having liked it at 10. Needless to say, I was wrong. This is a wonderful adaptation of a great operetta, and becomes even better with the experience of performing it.

Fans of Kevin Kline rejoice! He plays the perfect "Pirate King," the silly leader of a band of pirates who seem to be completely incompetent, if only at piracy. He delivers his lines with precision and, along with David Hatton (Samuel), adds a much needed low bass-baritone to Rex Smith(Frederic) and the rest of the pirates' tenor in the pirate tunes.

The late Tony Azito(Police Sergeant)'s performance is literally unbelievable, as he looks more like a man made out of rubber rather than flesh and bone.

I would recommend this to anyone, especially die hard Gilbert and Sullivan fans.

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 saw the movie version of "Pirates Of Penzance" again six years after my first viewing;I have to admit it wasn't quite as good as I remembered. The movie can't seem to build any momentum for the first few numbers until the Major General shows up. It falters again for several minutes while Kline, Stevens, and Lansbury struggle gamely with the "Leap Year" birthday number (it just isn't all that funny,guys); and the gimmick of staging the big fight between the cops and the pirates through an community theater staging of "HMS Pinafore" is way too cutesy and self-referential. A few of the "patter songs" have a bit of obvious filler, too (although a first time viewer might not notice this among all the clever word play).

But man, that scene where the pirates are parading through the commons singing "WITH CAT-LIKE TREAD, WE HARDLY MAKE A SOUND" at the top of their lungs...it makes me forgive the movie any of its obvious flaws. Kevin Kline was born to play the "Pirate King" and the movie is worth watching for his (and the Major General's) performance alone. Everyone else is good-to-great... there's not a flat tire or a bad performance in the bunch. Linda Ronstadt's abilities were a surprise to me; even though I am sure she got some "assistance" via dubbing and clever arrangements that hid her weak spots as a singer, she still made a smashing Mabel. And Gilbert and Sullivan's frothy, feather-light operettas still provide easy enjoyment for a modern audience who want light, clever comedy and pretty, accessible songs.

Still very good stuff, though not quite as good as I remembered. That's probably because I played a whole lot of pit orchestras in the intervening years and became a bit jaded.

the late actor who plays the Major-General and the late Tony Azito who is the captain of the constables, were just part of this great cast, this is a great tribute to two men who died so tragically. Can't think of a better venue to showcase all of these actors/actresses and singers all.