H.M.S. Pinafore

As a dyed-in-the-wool G & S fan, I'm always happy to see any version of the operas, and will find merit in just about all (speaking as a participant in the "Starship Pinafore" so disliked by Hannah here!). From traditional to updated, bring them on! I hadn't come across this one until very recently, and am DELIGHTED that a friend introduced me to it.

It's camp, hugely energetic and a romp pretty much from start to finish, and as such, a very successful piece of undiluted entertainment. I couldn't help but feel sheer goodwill to it. It's not flawless, and there were things that irritated me - some of the tempos seemed pulled about for no good reason (especially in the "straighter" numbers), and some of the dialogue cuts and rewrites seemed intrusive and/or unnecessary - but at the same time, many of the changes were hilarious, and I certainly had no objection to the interpolation of some numbers from different G and S shows. The acting performances were in keeping with the overall over-the-top nature of the production, and only occasionally grated, and in general I loved the raunchier interpretations. Particular pleasure was derived from the three fabulous "sisters and cousins and aunts", whose costumes were a delight and whose energy and slickness in the dancing I could only admire.

Strict purists will hate it- D'Oyley Carte it's not. And yes, the synthesized accompaniment does not bear comparison with a full orchestra. And yes, some of the singing could be criticised technically. But this uber-Broadway, almost cartoonish rendition fitted those things, and this version of Pinafore stands in its own right as fabulously entertaining. Some, I'm sure, will imagine Gilbert and Sullivan turning in their graves. Others of us will wonder whether it's not in fact just how they might do it if they'd been writing for the musical theatre today.

As a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan, I watched this live performance and found it very refreshingly entertaining. It is not for "purists" however, there is a lot of added dialogue some of which is very smutty, the characters' personalities are changed Sir Joseph in particular and the orchestra is more a synthesised small band.

I did love this production's energy, it is never dull and notice how the chorus never stop moving, I loved the refreshingly camp choreography(such as Dick and the Captain under the cloak and especially Sir Jospeh's leg movements), I did like how different and nifty the arrangements were and I loved the hilarious dialogue especially the Return of the Dead-eye quote, Dick's digs at the orchestra and conductor and Sir Joseph's interaction with Dick about his name.

The story may be standard perhaps, but as always with G&S the music is amazing, with memorable melodies and witty and droll lyrics. Costumes and sets wise, this production also scores highly, the idea of the revolving ship set was very clever and apart from Dick's the costumes look great and stick to the time they were set in.

The performers do give it their all, the male chorus and the three ladies who strongly reminded me of the Andrews sisters are superb, and David Gould has a dashing presence and a very mellow bass baritone voice. Helen Donaldson and Simon Gallagher sing wonderfully too, and Jon English has superb comic timing. The scene stealers are Drew Forsythe as a Sir Joseph that is a criss-cross between Toad, Mr Bean and Nosferatu and how he sang all those words AND did those very funny leg movements as well amazes me, and Rita Te Wiata, trust me after seeing this production you will never find a Buttercup this raunchy.

Overall, maybe not for all, but I thought it was a lot of fun. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Having already enjoyed Essgee's version of 'Tne Pirates', I came this production open minded and ready to be entertained. And was not disappointed. O.K it's not for G&S purists, but then Doyle Carte production can be a little (whisper it) boring. This was anything but. Great fun from the rollicking opening, with fantastic dancing from the chorus,to the irreverent and different ending. Jon English as the promoted 'Dick dead eye' kept the action moving at a fast pace, no time to think of the daft plot. I enjoyed all the performances.The Sister, cousin and Aunt, made a refreshing change from the usual ladies chorus. Drew Forsythe was a very funny and camp'Sir Joseph', David Gould warmed to the part of 'Captain Corcoran', not surprising as 'little Buttercup' in the hands of Amanda Muggleton, was far from the usual rotund Bumboat woman. Josephine and her Ralph, played by Helen Donaldson and Simon Gallaher, made a lovely couple, their singing a high point of this production.I have no gripe with using songs from other G&S shows.(W.S Gilbert was known to do the same when it suited). I am very glad I bought the DVD.

This version of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta is a fabulously comedic and musical show! Essgee Entertainment performed H.M.S Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado as a trilogy starring Jon English.

The live show was performed throughout Australia and New Zealand in 1997, and whilst people from other countries will enjoy watching this, the recognizable Australian and New Zealand stars will entertain their home audiences on a higher level.

I saw all 3 shows live in Australia when I was seven years old, and have since become a die-hard fan of all GnS operas. I bought the videos shortly after, and having a permanent recording of this fantastic show means I can enjoy these musicals for a long time to come.

I have to disagree strongly with negative comments on this production. I have adored G&S since I was in my early tens (I'm 60 this year) and EssGee have done a wonderful job with HMS Pinafore. Purists would, of course, disagree, but I have to say that so much of Gilbert's comedy has been brought out in these productions, and the fact that some members of the cast are not 'opera singers' does not matter a jot. The humour is delightful, the extra content fits in extremely well and the 'electronic orchestra' is a delight compared to some out-of-tune so-called 'professional' orchestras I have heard over the years. Bravo EssGee!!