The Pirates of Penzance

THE PIRATES ARE COMING!
LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS!

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Nova Scotia presented The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty in 2007 in Nova Scotia.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you much about The Pirates of Penzance -- it’s been a huge hit ever since its premiere in 1879. My theory is that G&S virtually invented the Broadway (and movie) musical with Pirates.  The comic pirates and policemen had little to do with traditional European operetta – they unleashed a whole new kind of musical story-telling upon the stage (and screen.)  

And that’s why I’ve set our Pirates on a 1929 sound stage – filming one of the first movie musicals.  I can hear a chorus of Oh no!  Is she going to muck around with good old G&S?  The answer is yes, a little bit -- but no, not really.  The pirates (especially the Pirate King) have always seemed to come straight from an Errol Flynn swashbuckler and the policemen, well, if they aren’t the original Keystone Kops, I’ll eat my hat. The music is all there – and boy, oh boy do we have some fabulous singers this year. I can’t remember hearing a chorus this strong before.  It’s a nice mix of newcomers and veterans, with lots and lots of dancing.

The main thing that’s different is the look of the female chorus. We’ve traded in the Victorian crinolines for some flirty flapper dresses and bathing beauty costumes. I think you’ll love these gals.  And, say, is that Groucho Marx as the Major-General?  Which makes sense since Groucho Marx was a great G&S fan (and performer.)

It's all about the singing, the dancing, the pirates, the flappers!  And did we mention the pirates? 

Jacqui Good, director.