Essgee’s The Pirates of Penzance

With Gilbert and Sullivan well out of copyright, there have been many adaptations of these popular musicals. The most innovative was the 1981 Broadway production of The Pirates of Penzance with Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline, which replaced the orchestra with a band and, without changing any of the story or setting, gave quite a different feel.

It was a hit.

In Australia, Simon Gallaher decided to do his own version with Jon English and introducing Marina Prior as Mabel and a gospel trio to replace the women’s chorus. It enjoyed great success.

So did Waterdale’s production of the Essgee version. The young energetic cast threw themselves into the production with enthusiasm. The choreography was exciting and tight and the characterisations strong.

Sam Marzden was a cheeky Pirate King with wonderful comic timing, and Jesse O’Donnell was very funny as the Sergeant of Police. Nathan Wright and Sabrina Surace sang up a storm as the young lovers, but the sound system wasn’t kind to Sabrina’s big soprano voice, which tended to distort. Her soft singing was beautiful and she showed more spirit than one usually sees in this role.

Demi Mangione, Narada Edgar and Jessica Cannuli were wonderful as the three main daughters, and their harmony singing was a delight. Antony Steadman was a more reserved Major-General than I am used to.

The lighting was effective, but the sound was sometimes a bit loud. There were coordination problems with the band, which was offstage, and sometimes singers had to rush to catch up. Being able to see into the wings was a distraction.

A very enjoyable show.

Graham Ford