The Pirates of Penzance
Okay, tragically, yesterday marks the day Amazon was set to release the 1983 Pirates of Penzance starring Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Linda Ronstadt, and Angela Lansbury (and that really cool guy who plays the police sargent). So naturally I received in the mail the Doyly Carte version. Admitting the primary difference that one cast is comprised of professional actors and the other of professional singers, one cannot really compare the two versions.
Musically, this Doyly Carte version far surpasses the other. The chorus harmonized tightly with beautifully blended tones, and the orchestra kept to brilliant symphonic standards, showing off Arthur Sullivan's composition to perfection. The soloists (excepting perhaps Keith Michell/Major General Stanley) performed to virtuoso standards. The Pirate King (Peter Allen) may not have been operatically trained but he had lovely Irish trills.
I have seen this version criticized for its musicality from other sources, and I can only assume that whoever wrote those ill-educated analyses referred to one of the other myriad productions so easy to mistake.
Unfortunately, when it comes to anything but the music, this production falls sadly short. The cast were not selected for their looks, no matter what the script says. None of the spoken parts showed any but the most off-handed acting. During the singing, the acting was only good enough for the nosebleed seats in the local opera-house, and never once did the choreography impress me in any way.
I must say, that the between-acts commentary was distinctly ill-conceived. The commentator (whose name I should absolutely know) questions how old Major Stanley would have to have been when he married to have had so many daughters, but I distinctly remember the line saying that they were all Wards in Chancery, which means it's possible that he's not their blood father at all, but a legal guardian whom they've adopted (it's still possible that they are blood children, and just victims of some Dickensian legal tangle). That's a bit of a tangent, though.
Anyway, if you're a fan of Arthur Sullivan, please try this version, after you purchase the other version this weekend!
Musically, this Doyly Carte version far surpasses the other. The chorus harmonized tightly with beautifully blended tones, and the orchestra kept to brilliant symphonic standards, showing off Arthur Sullivan's composition to perfection. The soloists (excepting perhaps Keith Michell/Major General Stanley) performed to virtuoso standards. The Pirate King (Peter Allen) may not have been operatically trained but he had lovely Irish trills.
I have seen this version criticized for its musicality from other sources, and I can only assume that whoever wrote those ill-educated analyses referred to one of the other myriad productions so easy to mistake.
Unfortunately, when it comes to anything but the music, this production falls sadly short. The cast were not selected for their looks, no matter what the script says. None of the spoken parts showed any but the most off-handed acting. During the singing, the acting was only good enough for the nosebleed seats in the local opera-house, and never once did the choreography impress me in any way.
I must say, that the between-acts commentary was distinctly ill-conceived. The commentator (whose name I should absolutely know) questions how old Major Stanley would have to have been when he married to have had so many daughters, but I distinctly remember the line saying that they were all Wards in Chancery, which means it's possible that he's not their blood father at all, but a legal guardian whom they've adopted (it's still possible that they are blood children, and just victims of some Dickensian legal tangle). That's a bit of a tangent, though.
Anyway, if you're a fan of Arthur Sullivan, please try this version, after you purchase the other version this weekend!
Incidentally, that Sargeant was played by Tony Azito, a highly skilled dancer.
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