The Pirates of Penzance – Regan de Wynter

Overview

When Australian men cross-dress, it's usually very camp or very bogan. When young English boys do so, it's civilised, or so it would seem from watching Sasha Regan's production of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic The Pirates of Penzance.

Regan has mentioned in her program notes that she has tried to re-create the days of single-sex high school productions, which necessitate cross-dressing to cover all roles. She's certainly managed to give the production a high school revue air, whilst elevating it to a professional, technically sound show.

This is not some edgy interrogation of gender but rather a well-executed piece of good clean fun. It's respectable for musicals to entertain for entertainment's sake, and it's even better if they're done with this level of flair and aplomb.

Some of the best comedy arises out of subjects taking themselves far too seriously and these corseted men are deadly sincere. The hilarity of cross-dressing wears off quickly and the story takes precedence, even if W.S. Gilbert's plot is basic. Alan Richardson as Mabel is the main reason for this. His solo, 'Stay Fred’ric, stay' verges on moving. He uses a squawky falsetto judiciously for comic effect and impressively sings the rest in a genuine soprano range up to a high D flat. As castration has long since been outlawed in his native England, his range can only be attributed to some serious dedication.

One of the standout performers is Lee Greenaway playing the incidental character of Connie, a bashful, bespectacled young maiden extremely keen to be married off to one of the dashing pirates. By evoking a sublime mixture of coyness and romantic mania, Greenaway all but steals the show. Although he is doubtless an accomplished singer, every time he opens his mouth as Connie a histrionic shriek emanates that would wake the dead. He is very funny, along with other comic gems such as Joseph Houston playing the dowdy but loyal Ruth.

An all-male cast of sailors and maids sounds like Sydney's idea of paradise. It's not all camp spectacle — there are also some fine moments of plain good performance — but yes, let’s face it; there are many robust young men on stage at one time. As Cate Blanchett put it on opening night, “Welcome to Sydney, boys.”

Photo by Lisa Tomasetti.