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.

This is an excellent production. Certainly it gets a bit smutty at times, but it is really well done. I found the singing excellent, and the innovative use of characters was inspired.WS Gilbert hinted that Grossmith was gay according to some writers and this is exploited to the full with the part that he played many years ago - that of Sir Joseph Porter. Dick Deadeye (Jon English)is given a prominent role and he links the character parts together exceptionally well. I loved the sisters, cousins and the aunts - Andrea Gallaher,Mellissa Langton, and Marissa Craig. Little Buttercup (Rima Te Wiata) sang in Calypso style and was superb. Simon Gallaher(handsome) and Helen Donaldson(beautiful) played the main parts of Ralph and Josephine and both had fine voices. I found no weak links in the parts played by the other players. As a bonus there was a selection of songs from other operas by G & S and who cares if they were out of place - they were beautiful melodies in their own right. If you belong to the D'oyley Carte camp then you will hate this show, but hey! I don't like DC productions at all. This is fun by today's standards - 'Of that there is no shadow doubt'

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!!

I've rarely seen any kinds of theater-plays, operettas and the like, most because it doesn't really appeal to me. But I must say I truly enjoyed this one.

I became aware of this play (HMS Pinafore) while re-watching Star Trek: Insurrection, where an android goes crazy after been by a weapon and it's (his) captain tries to catch it (him). To do so, the captain distracts the android by singing "A British Tar" from HMS Pinafore, which the android has prepared a performance of. The song appealed to me, and I found a version on it on YouTube, from the Esgee production.

I have not seen any other performances of the play before or after, but I have done some research. This helped me notice, that there ARE minor differences between this version and the original, mostly in the music. And while some may call such changes "blasphemy" or close to it, it is my opinion that it have been integrated quite nice.

The actors for the different roles have been well-chosen, each giving a fine performance as their respective characters. Additionally, the different actors who perform the duets compliment each other perfectly; especially where the Captain and Little Buttercup sing "fair moon" and "things are seldom what they seem".

Other reviewers have stated that the Little Buttercup in this play, especially when played by Rima Te Wiata, is not the "plumb" type as she was supposed to be. Instead, she is rather slim and fit, and rather saucy/sexy at times. I'm especially impressed by how she manages to vary her tone of voice, from almost "squeaky" at times, to a more "normal" tone and at some points rather "deep"; and how she performs those changes quite nice. As I wrote above, she (Buttercup, that is) and the Captain really complement each other when performing "fair moon" and "things are seldom what they seem"; with Buttercup's varied tones of voice and the Captain's deep, dark voice, absolutely beautiful.

All in all a great performance, and well worth watching more than once.

The principles and Ensemble make this one of the truly memorable versions of HMS Pinafore I have ever seen. It is hilarious as a performance, and all credit for making this one version that I personally, as well as all my friends enjoy most.

It is the type of production that makes the audience appreciate G&S.

G&S wrote in order to poke humour at the government of the day and the people, sailing close to the wind with their humor.

How sad it is that when a show such as this, that has the opportunity to make people laugh almost all the way through is condemmed by a minority for not being a fully authentic version faithful to the exact letter of the original.