High Energy Hijinx – Pirates Revival

Jun 11, 2025 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

Should Gilbert & Sullivan purists see Pirates! The Penzance Musical, the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production now showing at the Todd Haimes Theatre? The non-purist member of Two Sues on the Aisle gives a definitive yes; the purist, on the other hand, has a more nuanced take.

No question, this Tony nominated adaptation by Rupert Holmes, directed by Scot Ellis with choreography by Warren Carlyle and new orchestrations by Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, remains a nautical tale, and its plot is pretty much the same as the beloved operetta that was composed by Arthur Sullivan with a libretto by W.S. Gilbert in 1879. However, it is no longer set in the British Victorian seaside resort of Penzance (a town so peaceful that the idea of its being overrun by pirates was as nonsensical to the Victorians as the “pirates of Atlantic City” might be today), and Mr. Holmes believed, for no reason that we can see, that he could improve on Sullivan’s score and Gilbert’s incomparably funny words.

“Play with the setting if you must, and have a ball with the costumes, stage directions, and even the tempi and accents, but, for heaven’s sake, leave the words and music alone,” cries the Two Sues on the Aisle’s Gilbert & Sullivan purist.

The Purist’s Reason To See It

Despite that undeniable shortcoming, there is an important reason every purist should see this production: David Hyde Pierce, best known for his ongoing role as Dr. Niles Frazier in the TV sit-com Frasier, is arguably the best Major General you will probably ever see. And that’s from someone who saw the late, legendary Martyn Green in the role. It’s a performance well worth the price of admission.

For logic known only to Mr. Holmes, this version of Pirates is set in New Orleans, a city that, unlike the iconic Penzance, is historically associated with pirates. The time, however, is unclear. While the original Pirates is a Victorian piece, anchored firmly in the late 1800s, whose popular melodramas the operetta mocks, Mr. Holmes’ version, with its jazzy orchestrations, including Dixieland and blues, and women’s suffragette themes, seems more tied to the early 20th century.

The plot still revolves around Frederic (beautifully played at the performance we saw by understudy Ryo Kamibayashi), a slave of duty who, 21 years earlier, was accidentally apprenticed to a band of pirates by his nanny, Ruth, played here by American drag queen Jinx Monsoon. Just as Frederick makes plans to leave the pirates and embark on marriage to Ruth, he learns there are more attractive young women in the world and so sets his sights on Mabel (Samantha Williams), one of Major-General Stanley’s many daughters. In the original, she is a coloratura soprano whose “Poor Wandering One” is so full of operatic trills and high notes that it makes audiences forget this is a spoof. Here she’s a musical theater jazz singer. Nothing wrong with that—unless you long for an amazing aria that will leave you with chills.

Historical Reference

In a clever attempt at historical accuracy, the new show begins with an appearance by Mr. Pierce as Gilbert and Preston Truman Boyd, who also plays the Police Sergeant, as Sullivan, discussing what they are doing in New Orleans. In fact, there is no historical evidence that the two ever visited Louisiana, but they were in America in 1879 for a reason that resonates today.

Enormously popular in London, the team exceeded their investors’ wildest financial dreams with their 1878 hit, HMS Pinafore. When they decided to present it in New York, they found no fewer than 150 unauthorized, pirated versions of the operetta, productions, including one in Yiddish, that paid them no royalties for the right to perform the work. There were no international copyright laws back then.

Small wonder in December 1879, they and their producer, Richard D’Oyly Carte, decided to debut Pirates in New York one day after its opening in Paignton, England, thus assuring themselves of all the benefits of American and British royalties. Four official touring companies, all trained by Gilbert & Sullivan themselves, played throughout the Eastern, Western, and Midwestern United States—but not in New Orleans.

Modern Sensibilities

The changes wrought in this current production often seem to be winks at modern sensibilities. For example, Major-General Stanley’s daughters were always one of the story’s jokes—he refers to them as his children, but it’s clear they were all wards. Here, however, they are his biological offspring, but pointedly from mothers native to countries all over the world.

Even purists must admit there is some historical validity to some of Mr. Holmes’ changes, especially the addition of material from other Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. That started in the memorable Joseph Papp production of Pirates, first as part of Shakespeare in the Park in 1980 and then on Broadway a year later. In that version, the “Matter Patter” trio from Ruddigore and “Sorry her lot” from Pinafore were added—and they remained in the 1983 filmed version as well.

Mr. Holmes has added a lot more, but fortunately, they’re all from Gilbert & Sullivan. Most successful is the bonus “Nightmare Song” from Iolanthe, magnificently performed by Mr. Pierce at a moment in Act II so appropriate it may well become part of Pirates from now on, (it may be Gilbert & Sullivan’s most difficult solo patter song), and Mr. Pierce carries it off brilliantly, articulating each of the clever words in the difficult polysyllabic rhyming pattern with such nonchalance as to make it look easy.

Mr. Holmes’ final numbers are less satisfying. Missing is the hysterical a cappella paean to Poetry, sung by pirates, police, and daughters. Gone is the joke in the original Pirates of Penzance, in which, in true melodramatic tradition, the pirates must yield to the police in Queen Victoria’s name because “with all our faults, we love our Queen.”  Obviously, Mr. Holmes’ pirates cannot be declared “all noblemen who have gone wrong,” who are, thus, entitled to marry Major-Stanley’s daughters.

Instead, Mr. Holmes gives new words to Pinafore’s “He Is an Englishman” and makes it “We’re All from Somewhere Else.”

An Enjoyable Introduction

The Two Sues’ Gilbert and Sullivan purist found many of Mr. Homes’ changes jarring, especially initially when she annoyed the other Sue by quietly singing the original lyrics. Eventually (certainly in light of Mr. Pierce’s “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General”), the purist had to admit it was not at all an unpleasant experience.

On the other hand, the second Sue, for whom this represented a first Gilbert & Sullivan experience, was drawn in by the story, the scenery, and performances, especially the swaggering Pirate King (Ramin Karimloo), whose athleticism included a sword fight; the jubilant virtuoso display of tap dancing by the police officers, led by Mr. Boyd; and the company playing washboards, a reminder that we were in New Orleans. What she found most striking was the coordination and execution of every aspect of the performance, with flawless transitions and a happy ending as the Major-General invites everyone to share his estate.

The sets, including a large moon that seemed to hang as if suspended from a visible string, by David Rockwell, were by turns dreamy and vibrant, appearing to be pulled from the illustrations of a children’s book. The pirate ship was entrancing, and the Mardi Gras celebration at the end left most of the audience smiling.