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The Pirates of Penzance would seem to be one of the most indestructible of theatrical works, with its seamless parody and melodic brilliance. No material is surefire, however. In this lackluster version, the pleasures are sporadic at best. The production, originally shown on the BBC, is a nondaring affair that avoids any modern sensibility or satiric edge. Mabel's song "Poor Wand'ring One," a swipe at the trilling idiocies of opera, here lacks any sting at all, with Mabel's sisters pirouetting in wholesome Victorian fashion--just what the antisentimental Gilbert & Sullivan didn't have in mind. Nevertheless, there are some good gags. When Frederic reveals himself to the sisters as they are daringly taking off their shoes, they hop backward in fright, simultaneously, on one foot. The casting includes some fatal errors. Alexander Oliver as Frederic is plainly so much older than his juvenile character that the role is reduced to nonsense. Worse, his performance is drab and lethargic. The singer-songwriter Peter Allen, cast as the Pirate King presumably for star appeal, contributes a hip-swiveling Vegas style that jars with everything around him. Keith Michell, as a charming, befuddled Major-General, is much better.
This is an entry in the Opera World series of Gilbert and Sullivan videos, made in the early 1980s. The operettas in the series, which in many cases feature the considerable asset of subtitled lyrics, were sometimes cut to fit a two-hour time slot. Pirates, instead, was padded with a bland making-of-the-film segment, followed by endless travelogue shots of the seaside town of Penzance. Don't bother. --David Olivenbaum
From the Producer
This video is part of a series produced originally for BBC.TV. With a production budget of $1,000,000 per opera, a special film set was created for each, and top stars from the world of opera and comedy were recruited for the leading roles. Here, Peter Allen is the Pirate King, Alexander Oliver is Frederic, and Keith Michell is "The modern Major-General." The London Symphony Orchestra and the world-acclaimed Ambrosian Opera Chorus perform Sullivan's music with exuberance and precision. A brief introduction by Douglas Fairbanks Jr explains the origins and context of the opera. New digital remastering has produced both picture and (hi-fi stereo) sound of exceptional quality.
