Currently showing at the Coliseum, few would argue this revival of Mike Leigh’s Pirates of Penzance isn’t entertaining. Never mind the absurd storyline involving an apprentice pirate whose wish to marry a Major General’s daughter is temporarily foiled by a ‘legal technicality’ demanding he remain with his shipmates until 1940 because he was born in a leap year. Even if one ignores the parody of traditional opera with its sly references to Verdi and Schubert, the numerous gags, including the mishearing of ‘pirate’ and ‘pilot’, ‘orphan’ and ‘often’, will raise a smile and tickle the ribs. Only the most determinedly grim-faced could deny this production’s cosy charm and feel-good factor, not least because its toe-tapping melodies are sung with evident affection.
Amongst the principals are two Gilbert & Sullivan stalwarts – the veteran singer actor Richard Suart (as Major General Stanley) and John Savournin (the Pirate King). Both invest Sullivan’s music with nobility and a buccaneering spirit. At seventy-three, Suart may not quite have the focus or projection of younger days (as in his recording with Welsh National Opera in 1993), but he can still bring wit to ‘I am the very model of a modern Major-General’, fluently sung here with some nimble footwork. And, of course, part of the humour is that he looks so unlike a major general – let alone a modern one. And for those not hearing or understanding every word of his patter song the programme booklet has a helpful glossary.
Savournin is every inch the swaggering Pirate King who weirdly brings together (to me anyway) images of John Cleese and Captain Haddock; with a rich baritone often allied to a salty grin Captain Pugwash, too, is not far away. I particularly enjoyed the stage-filling bass of James Cresswell as the glum Sergeant of Police; his song ‘A Policeman’s Lot Is Not a Happy One’, is marvellously resonant with an ocean-size depth to his lower notes and partnered by some comically blundering bobbies who go weak at the knees at the first sign of trouble when encountering the pirates. Gaynor Keeble as Ruth sings pleasingly and admirably fulfils her role as the fond but disappointed nursemaid.
It’s the two central characters that convince most; a well-matched pair in the ardent tenor of William Morgan as the ‘slave to duty’ apprentice Frederick who falls in love with a coquettish and strong-willed Mabel gloriously sung by Isabelle Peters. Her easy coloratura soprano and natural stage presence are a real bonus, with ‘Poor wandering one’ delivered with poise and her pleas for Frederick not to return to buccaneering will melt hearts.
What lifts the production above the merely so-so are Alison Chitty’s startling picture book designs, dominated intermittently by a vast porthole through which we first see the deck of the pirate’s ship beached at a precarious angle as if listing to starboard in a south westerly. Aside from the non-specific location (with nothing to suggest a rocky Cornish coastline), and its geometrical shapes, the primary colours also manage to brighten the dresses of the Major General’s numerous daughters whose deportment and clean singing bring a shapely elegance to proceedings. Ensemble numbers are splendidly effective, especially the Act 2 rage trio between Frederick, the King and Ruth. Elsewhere, there’s some splendid chorus singing with the men suitably roistering in “With Cat- Like Tread”.
In the pit, Natalie Murray Beale mostly secures a sense of rollicking fun, with a rhythmic precision and an expressive freedom gradually gaining focus. Overall, this is perfect family entertainment that appeals to all G & S devotees.
David Truslove
The Pirates of Penzance
Music: Arthur Sullivan
Libretto: W. S. Gilbert
Cast and production staff:
Major-General Stanley – Richard Suart; The Pirate King – John Savournin; Frederic – William Morgan; Sergeant of Police – James Cresswell; Mabel – Isabelle Peters; Ruth – Gaynor Keeble; Samuel – Henry Neill; Edith – Bethan Langford; Kate – Anna Elizabeth Cooper; Isabel – Ella Kirkpatrick
Director – Mike Leigh, Revival Director – Sarah Tipple; Designer – Alison Chitty; Lighting – Paul Pyant; Revival Lighting – Ian Jackson-French; Sound designers – Sarah Weltman & Dominic Bilkey; Choreographer – Francesca Jaynes; Chorus & Orchestra of English National Opera, Conductor – Natalie Murray Beale
Coliseum, London, 7 December 2024
All photos © Craig Fuller/ENO