The Pirates of Penzance

Sorry, G&S fans, this one's only useful for the complete set

This is the second title I've reviewed that comes from the Broadway Theatre Archive, a company dedicated to re-issuing "lost" theatrical productions. Focusing primarily on performances taped for public television, the Archive has resurrected over 300 Broadway performances, many of them commercially unavailable until now, and presented them to the public. This particular tape is a production of The Pirates of Penzance, directed by Wilford Leach for the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival in 1980, and starring Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith. It was an incredibly popular show that, three years later, would be translated into a feature film with most of the original cast reprising their roles from the stage play. Nonetheless, you do not want to spend your money on this tape.

That's right--I, TPK, Gilbert & Sullivan geek extraordinaire, have given a production of The Pirates of Penzance a one-and-a-half-star rating. How does this happen? After all, this performance really is charming. It's imaginatively and stylishly directed, and it's got some great moments with Kline and George Rose and the late, great Tony Azito. So why the lackluster rating?

Well, partially because great moments alone don't make a show. Kline heartily camps it up as the Pirate King, but he can't carry the whole performance single-handedly. Much of the weakness in this performance can be attributed to the casting of our heroes, Frederic and Mabel. Smith only muddles along as Frederic; he hits his marks and (mostly) his notes, but aside from one dead-on Elvis impersonation he doesn't bring much that's interesting to the part. As for Linda Ronstadt... well, keep in mind this is her stage debut. Her Mabel is sweet if not terribly expressive, but discard that for the more germane point: she cannot act to save her life. Ronstadt's liquid eyes and voice seemed natural for stage work, and in 1980 she was desperate to salvage her career, having snorted so much coke in the previous decade that her nose had to be cauterized twice. Alas, Ronstadt seems to have gone directly from stimulants to opiates, as she practically sleepwalks through this performance.

Mind you, there are some great actors in the supporting roles. Patricia Routledge arguably does a better job as Ruth than Angela Lansbury in the film version, Rose is delightful as Major-General Stanley, and Azito puts in an amazing rubber-boned performance as the Sergeant of Police. Still, they aren't enough to salvage this videotape from its other major detraction: serious technical problems.

This production was captured live on videotape twenty years ago, and appears to have been screened hundreds of times since. As a result, the quality of the source tape has degraded drastically. Even with restoration work (the case credits indicate "Tape restoration by SpecsBros., LLC"), the extremely poor quality of the recording makes this tape unacceptable for public distribution. The video is grainy and fuzzy, the color is often washed out and many scenes are overexposed; the soundtrack has the oscillating warble that usually indicates a stretched videotape. Even the copy on the tape sleeve is not up to professional standards, with such glaring errors as "Gillbert & Sullivan," "Federic" and, worst of all, "The Pirates of Penzannce." Frankly, there's every indication this tape was rushed into production to coincide with holiday gift-giving, and the overall quality is unacceptable as a result.

If you really want to see Kevin Kline as the Pirate King, get a copy of the movie, released in 1983; it is a near-perfect restaging of the original. The Broadway Theatre Archive tape should only be of interest to Gilbert & Sullivan fanatics who are building a comprehensive collection, or hardcore fans of Patricia Routledge. Otherwise, you shouldn't shell out $30 just for the privilege of feeling ripped off.

All material displayed on this website is © 2001-2009 by S. B. Houghton, writing under the alias "The Pirate King." All rights reserved.
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