Well shiver me timbers theatregoers, as we were invited along to see Sasha Regan's all male cast version of the Gilbert & Sullivan classic The Pirates Of Penzance at Wilton's Music Hall on Thursday evening. But would it be a case of this production having to walk the plank or did it find the buried treasure?
We're glad to say that it was the latter. To some hardened G&S fans, it's sacrilege to deviate from performing these treasured pieces of English theatre heritage in any other way than the standard form, but the audience certainly got value for money here with a fantastic evening of entertainment.
First performed in 2009, Regan's version of The Pirates of Penzance allows the audience to see a fresh, modern take on one of G&S's greatest savoy operas. The direction of this version leans more towards a comedic tone which has the audience laughing from start to finish, but without really losing the heart of the story. The only character that this direction hinders is Ruth, portrayed by the fabulous Robert Wilkes, a character who's darker side after being spurned by Frederic (Cameron Mcallister) is left behind and not really explored. This absolutely doesn't take away anything from Wilkes' performance which is top drawer, full of fantastic comedic quips, expressions and an outstanding vocal performance.
This opera is a fantastic piece for an ensemble to shine and boy do they shine. They have a the huge task of switching from pirates, to daughters, to policemen often very quickly, flitting with ease through the tough, rapid changing vocal tones required and delivering Lizzi Gee's fantastic choreography with great aplomb. It was great watching all the different members of the ensemble bringing their characters to life through their expressions, it was hard to know where to look at times.
Musical direction came from Giannis Giannopoulos, who accompanied the cast on piano. Only having a piano here was a great choice as it allowed the cast's voices to fill this beautiful venue to the fullest. A vocal highlight of this piece is the acapella 'Hail Poetry' from the act one finale, which makes your hair stand on end, it was stunning.
An honourable mention must be made to Ben Bull's lighting design, and video design again from Bull and Lee Greenaway, as both elements bring great atmospheric gravitas to the production.
Turning to the cast, only David McKechnie has been involved in this production before and gives a fantastic performance as Major General Stanley. Making his professional stage debut is Tom Newland, who makes for a commanding and vibrant Pirate king. Cameron Mcallister gives an assured performance as Frederic, he sings with such control and oozes charisma. The stand out performance here belongs to Luke Garner-Green as Mabel, another professional debut but you would never have thought that after seeing their performance. He plays Mabel with great controlled femininity which is never camp and with a soaring vocal performance.
In a world of modern musicals, you could think that classics like this could be left behind to disappear but with bold re-imaginings such as this, they get to reach a whole new audience and stay relevant.
The Pirates of Penzance runs at Wilton's Music Hall until November 23rd - for tickets and more information, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Mark Senior
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