The Pirates of Penzance – Wilton’s Music Hall and Touring

Picture: Mark Senior

The Pirates of Penzance was reviewed at Wilton’s Music Hall, London where it continues until 23 November 2024. The tour continues until 7 December 2024.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

The Pirates of Penzance is one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s best-loved creations. It includes such classics as ‘I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General’ and ‘I Am a Pirate King’. It has a typical G&S plot. Frederick, a pirate, falls in love with Mabel, the Major-General’s daughter; chaos ensues, policemen are involved, ‘when a felon’s not engaged in his employment’, and all ends well.

Robyn Wilson-Owen’s sets are stunning. A backdrop of brilliant sea blue sets the scene, as high above the stage, clouds gently float by. The pirate ship gently rocking on the waves as stars twinkle in a midnight blue sky is magical (special credit to Ben Bull and artist Lee Greenaway who created the projected backdrops; in fact, the latter actually drew them all from scratch).

The show opens with a bevvy of white-clad pirates, ironically hanging out the washing, which cleverly transforms into a sailing ship for the pirate king’s song. The fact that these are the same actors who appear in white dresses singing ‘Climbing Over Rocky Mountain’, is a testament to their versatility. The addition of big black boots, funny walks and moustaches on sticks mark the arrival of the police force.

Sasha Regan’s production is a glorious riot of high camp on the high Cs. Everything is sung in the original key. Mabel, a high soprano, is sung in falsetto voice by Luke Garner-Greene. Their ‘Poor Wandering One’ is a hilarious parody of grand opera. However, their ‘Oh, leave me not to pine alone’ is haunting, set against the backdrop of twinkling stars. Tom Newland is a striking pirate king, and Cameron McAllister is an earnest Frederick. David McKechnie brings gravitas to the Major General. Robert Wilkes’ Ruth is a tough Yorkshire lass who spits razor-sharp asides.

Lizzi Gee’s choreography is a high-energy mix of hilarious ballet leaps and tightly crafted numbers. There are numerous perfectly timed physical gags including a fainted lady being slowly dragged behind the chorus during Fredericks’s earnest singing and the Major General’s broom hobby horse.

G&S fans, beware, this Pirates is not sung with operatic voices; this is men singing in falsetto and musical theatre singers without microphones. The pirate/police soloists are soft in tone and match their cross-gender colleagues in volume. However, the male choruses are belted out, and the General’s daughters have a surprisingly sweet blend. The whole theatre is used, so you may have a pirate or a policeman popping up behind you and singing in your ear!

This hilarious production is a world-class hoot. It is surprisingly faithful to the original, and Gilbert’s jokes sound like they were written yesterday.

Effie Gray