HMS Pinafore

Synopsis

HMS Pinafore premiered in 1878 at the Opera Comique in London, and became Gilbert and Sullivan's first smash hit, enjoying a successful run of 571 performances. Satirising the snobbery and hypocrisy of the English social system of its day. HMS Pinafore is a comic tale of love, class pretensions and mistaken identities. Questioning the integrity of the ruling elite and exposing the duplicitous motives of leaders of power, this comedy still has remarkable resonance today.

Our Review:

Roz Carter - 19 September 2012

Full of sea shanties and petticoats, Opera Della Luna’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore is a breath of fresh coastal air and shines as brightly as a new polished brass button.

The first ten minutes are exciting to watch as the whole cast (musicians included) busy themselves in building the ship set which is exquisitely designed by Graham Wynne. It is suggestive without ever looking cheap and is complimented by Guy Dickens’ lighting design. Together Wynne and Dickens manage to create a sense of vast sea air and make the production look beautifully playful.

As Captain Corcoran, Ian Belsey is able to bellow with charm and his handlebar moustache positively bristles with propriety and good nature. Philip Cox is full of wit as he plays Sir Joseph Porter with as a slightly camp twinkle-toes, batting away the advances of his elderly female relatives.

The young lovers Ralph and Josephine are sweetly p...

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