By Gilbert & Sullivan. Adapted by Richard Carroll
As witty as it is ambitious and playful. It may not reach the heights of the great renditions, but the cast of five leave an impression in this Pirates of Penzance.
Reviewed by Kate Gaul
Hayes Theatre, Potts Point
Until 16 March 2025
Tickets: https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/the-pirates-of-penzance/
Type: Adapted Operetta, Actor-Musician, Warm and Fuzzy
If You Liked: Peter and the Star Catcher, Godspell (Hayes – 2023)
This is a story about a sailor, Frederic, who having turned 21, is released from his apprenticeship to a band of tender-hearted pirates. He meets the high-born daughters of the incompetent Major-General Stanley, including Mabel, and the two young people fall instantly in love. Frederic soon learns, however, that he was born on 29th February, and so technically, he has a birthday only once each leap year. His indenture specifies that he remain apprenticed to the pirates until his “twenty-first birthday”, meaning that he must serve for another 63 years. Bound by his own sense of duty to honour his bond with the pirates, Frederic’s only solace is that Mabel agrees to wait for him faithfully. The Pirates’ Maid-of-all-work, Ruth, eventually reveals a fact that saves the day. Such is Gilbert and Sullivan‘s classic tale of Pirates of Penzance.
In this version, adapted by Richard Carroll, instead of the multitude of pirates and maidens, we have only five hard working performers singing to a mixture of backing track and live music. The music is co-arranged and supervised by artistic director Victoria Falconer. It is the on-stage Trevor Jones who is co-arranger and musical director here. He is the glue and brings not only maturity and skill to the stage but an inherent understanding of the G& S oeuvre. He is delicious in each of his roles and his Major-General is top notch in his rendition of the obligatory patter song: “I am the very model of a Modern Major General”.
Maxwell Simon is admirably cast as our hero Frederic with looks and a fine tenor voice to die for. Brilliantly matched by soprano Brittanie Shipway as Mabel and maid-of-all-work Ruth, Shipway has some show stopping vocal moments and dazzles with her comic chops. She is a genuine star!
Jay Laga’aia plays the Pirate King and the Sergeant of Police as he works to bring the famed charismatic panache to both. In this rendition, they’re big shoes to fill as the ghost of John English haunts the Aussie stage from as far back as the 1990s in the famous Simon Gallaher disco-inspired productions (sound track readily available!). Bille Palin rounds out the five and is a stalwart as she plays several minor roles as on-stage swing.
There is memorable work to be found!
The production is delightfully set in what looks and feels like an am-dram pocket theatre with a set design by Nick Fry and lighting by Jasmin Rizk. Sound design by Daniel Herten mixes the multi-modal delivery of sound quite well but in such a small space and with the home-grown feel of the production it is a wonder it is not acoustic.
Act One dazzles, full of promise with reasonable and genuine audience interaction. Act Two, in comparison, fizzles. It reveals a paucity of point of view and audience are often left behind. With a cast of five it is an uphill battle to realise the complexity of this music and the text – as dazzling as it can be – and, in Carroll’s adaptation, has mostly been reworked for our contemporary times.
Go for the cast who are working their butts off. There is memorable work to be found!
Theatre Thought: One is reminded how tricky it can be to recreate the buzz and excitement of an original in a re-worked classic. It shouldn’t stop anyone trying but do we lack the courage and madness of our musical forebears?
Pirates of Penzance will be playing at Hayes Theatre, Potts Point Until 16 March 2025
Tickets: https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/the-pirates-of-penzance/
And at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong from 26-29 March 2025
Tickets: https://merrigong.com.au/shows/the-pirates-of-penzance/
Cast & Creatives
Starring
Trevor Jones as The Major-General and more
Jay Laga’aia as The Pirate King and more
Brittanie Shipway as Ruth, Mabel and more
Maxwell Simon as Frederic and more
Billie Palin as Isabel, Barry and more/onstage swing
Director Richard Carroll
Co-Arranger & Musical Supervisor Victoria Falconer
Musical Director and Co-Arranger Trevor Jones
Assistant Director & Choreographer Shannon Burns
Set Designer Nick Fry
Costume Designer Lily Mateljan
Lighting Designer Jasmine Rizk
Sound Designer Daniel Herten
Production Manager Abbey Pace
Stage Manager Sherydan Simson
