Title: Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Location: Todd Haimes Theatre
Written By: Gilbert and Sullivan, adapted by Rupert Holmes
Summary: A reimagining of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta set in New Orleans, with a jazzed up score.
Highlights: This show is pure delight! Pirates is my favorite G&S show, and this adaptation makes it even more fun. Setting it in New Orleans, with their rich music culture, is genius, and makes total sense story-wise since there historically were pirates in and around New Orleans. The show opens with Gilbert and Sullivan explaining how they opened Pirates in America to secure the copyright, and we see them a few times throughout the show in some meta fourth-wall breaking bits. Then the show starts, and it's so joyous! They've added some songs from other G&S shows, written new lyrics fitting to the setting and with some current social commentary (which G&S were always about), and given everything that fabulous New Orleans sound. This is accomplished by a 15-piece orchestra under the stage with plenty of brass and woodwinds, and just a slight tweak to the rhythms so that the songs are still recognizable, but also feel like they came out of New Orleans with jazz and calypso and probably even more influences than I recognized. It's dynamically staged by Scott Ellis, with actors entering and exiting through the aisles or singing from the back of the theater, making it an immersive experience. One of the great things about G&S, besides the clever wordplay, is the large ensemble creating gorgeous harmonies, and that holds true here with this lovely and talented ensemble cast, headlined by national treasure David Hyde Pierce as the most charmingly befuddled Major General, one of our best and most famous drag queens Jinkx Monsoon as dear Ruth, Nicholas Barasch as the sweet and charming Frederick, Samantha Williams as a strong and spunky Mabel, and Ramin Karimloo as the Pirate King with the thigh-high boots, shirt open to the navel, endless charisma, and vocal chops (he's spent much of his career in Les Miz and Phantom) to make you forget Kevin Kline's iconic Tony-winning performance.
I saw one of the first previews of the show, but there's virtually nothing to be improved upon (except maybe finding a sweat-proof mic for Ramin, because he was working it in the crowd-pleasing number "With Cat-like Tread"). They may have changed the lyrics to the "Hail Poetry" moment so that it no longer includes these words, but this Pirates is still a much needed "divine emollient" in this weary world. Oh joy! Oh rapture!
*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2025 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.
