Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Michell, Kelly, Oliver, Allen, Opera World

Amazon.com The Pirates of Penzance would seem to be one of the most indestructible of theatrical works, with its seamless parody and melodic brilliance. No material is surefire, however. In this lackluster version, the pleasures are sporadic at best. The production, originally shown on the BBC, is a nondaring affair that avoids any modern sensibility or satiric edge. Mabel's song "Poor Wand'ring One," a swipe at the trilling idiocies of opera, here lacks any sting at all, with Mabel's sisters pirouetting in wholesome Victorian fashion--just what the anti-sentimental Gilbert and Sullivan didn't have in mind. Nevertheless, there are some good gags. When Frederic reveals himself to the sisters as they are daringly taking off their shoes, they hop backward in fright, simultaneously, on one foot. The casting includes some fatal errors. Alexander Oliver as Frederic is plainly so much older than his juvenile character that the role is reduced to nonsense. Worse, his performance is drab and lethargic. The singer-songwriter Peter Allen, cast as the Pirate King presumably for star appeal, contributes a hip-swiveling Vegas style that jars with everything around him. Keith Michell, as a charming, befuddled Major-General, is much better. This is an entry in the Opera World series of Gilbert and Sullivan videos, made in the early 1980s. The operettas in the series were sometimes cut to fit a two-hour time slot. Pirates, instead, was padded with a bland making-of-the-film segment, followed by endless travelogue shots of the seaside town of Penzance. Don't bother. --David Olivenbaum Product Description FEATURING THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND A HOST OF INTERNATIONAL STARS, INCLUDING VINCENT PRICE, JOEL GRAY, PETER MARSHALL, KEITH MITCHELL, FRANKIE HOWERD AND PETER ALLEN. FILMED IN ENGLAND AND CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR TV, THEY HAVE DELIGHTED FANS ON PBS AND THE BBC. From the Back Cover From the popular series seen on PBS and the BBC. A group of pirates celebrate the coming of age of their apprentice, Frederic. But Frederic, an honest chap apprenticed to the pirates by mistake, plans to exercise his new maturity by turning the pirates over to the police. The arrival of a chorus of young beauties on a beach outing with their father, Major General Stanley, distracts Frederic and leads to one complication after another. In a final hilarious battle with the police, a surprising discovery about the origins of the pirates saves the day. Featuring the London Symphony Orchestra and the Ambrosian Opera Chorus and starring Keith Michell, Alexander Oliver, Janis Kelly, Paul Hudson and Peter Allen. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE an introduction to the opera by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., "making of" featurette, Gilbert & Sullivan profile, song index and companion booklet featuring the Pirates of Penzance libretto.
ASIN: B00006JU6C
VSKU: DBV.B00006JU6C.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Keith Michell|Kate Flowers|Janis Kelly|Alexander Oliver|Jenny Wren|Brian Donlan|Rodney Greenberg|William S. Gilbert|Julia Sawalha|Gillian Knight|Paul Hudson|Peter Allen
Binding: Dvd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!