Arts Movie Reviews

I have this DVD too and I love watching it and I like that it was filmed live while they were performing on stage, the camera work wasn't the best but you still get to see how great, Kevin Kline was and also Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, Patricia Routledge and George Rose and the singing and dancing was wonderful! I plan on buying the movie version whenever it gets on DVD but I would still watch this theater version too and I would only recommend this version to people who actually enjoy going to the theater to see plays and musicals performed live instead of just watching the Hollywood movie versions of them.

I have this Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Linda Rondstadt stage performance of The Pirates of Penzance on DVD and despite the flaws of the not so good camera work and it being filmed on a tiny stage and the visibility not being what it could have been because it was filmed outside at night when it was pretty dark out and it probably would have been better filmed on a bigger stage inside a well lit theater but I still enjoyed watching it and I'm happy that I have the DVD because you can still see how great it is and the pure magic and energy of the performances really shines through that any minor flaw can be easily over looked. I just wish I could have been a part of the audience in Central Park when this was performed but watching it on DVD is the next best thing. I haven't seen the movie version of this but I think I will like it too so whenever it becomes available on DVD I will definitely buy it but I wouldn't get rid of this version for it, I would definitely keep both versions. Despite the minor flaws I still think the excellent performances merit a 5 star rating!

I previously rated the VHS version of this Joe Papp production (which I fortunately have on Laserdisc). It's one of my favorites, but the VHS version was recorded later for cable broadcast and it suffers from it. Although it has excellent picture and sound (at least on my Laserdisc), it frustratingly falls short of the original cast CD. To fit its time slot, some verses or even whole numbers were omitted, while more visual business was added - some of it over-the-top silly.

This DVD is from a taping of a live performance in Central Park. It suffers from wind noise in the microphones, bugs flying around, and all sorts of other hazards of a live taping. Not that it's bad, but simply don't expect the same audio and video quality of the slick later soundstage production.

Having said all that, I wouldn't give up either of them! This version was made some 3 years years before the other and it shows on the actors who all are obviously younger. Better yet, it has all the verses and all the numbers that are on the CD - even the ones "borrowed" from other G&S works. The same sense of fun prevails. Patricia Routledge actually fits the part of Ruth better than Angela Lansbury did in the later production (both are *far* better than Estelle Parsons who's on the CD!) One minor disappointment is that the camera never pays enough attention to Tony Azito, who pretty much stole every scene he was in in the later production. Possibly just as well - wearing stage makeup and without the moustache he sported in the later version, he looks a little goofy here.

So take your choice... A great, but incomplete production on VHS or this technically inferior, yet intact production on DVD. I'm just glad to have both.

UPDATE:
Since this is a favorite in my family, I've now watched it several additional times with various family members. Imperfect as it may be, it's easily become my favorite of the two. The infectious sense of fun, the audience interaction, Routledge's superior performance - all set it apart. Will I still buy the soundstage production if it's released on DVD? Yes, if only for The better presentation of "When the Foeman Bares His Steel". But if I could have only one, I'm afraid this would be it.

I just watched this version of Pirates of Penzance and I think it awful! I love the musical itself and I like the movie, and I was looking forward to seeing it on the stage. But this was terrible. This cast killed the show. The Pirate King, while a good actor, could not sing and couldn't hold a note longer than his finger. Frederic was so homosexual and it clearly showed in the performance. His tone was so nasally I wanted him to blow his nose or something. And his acting [was bad]. He killed the performance. Mabel was okay but her vibrato was so annoying sometimes-it was so forced. The Major General was quite gay too and his dancing just ruined the whole thing. I could go on but I won't. Don't waste your time on this video like I did.

This is not a review of the DVDs, which I have not seen. I have, however, heard broadcasts of these performances, and a word of warning is in order. Many of the reviewers here have commented on the rewritten dialogue in these productions - but there has been little said about the rewritten music. These are emphatically NOT Sullivan's own graceful and apt orchestrations, but rescorings by Stratford Festival music director Berthold Carriere. To my ear, they infinitely cheapen and coarsen the score. This isn't just a matter of reorchestration but of additions, unecessary hoking-up, and elevator-music touches like upward modulations between verses. Such things may be fine on Broadway - most B'way composers didn't orchestrate their own shows anyway - and they may not bother some listeners, but for lovers of Sullivan's music they may be painful to hear. They certainly make these productions unlistenable for me.

This 3 DVD set is an excellent addition to the library of those who enjoy films of live stage performances. Presented by the Stratford Festival in Canada, these productions do feature updated lyrics by music director Berthold Carriere. Some find these offensive, personally I think they are true to the spirit of Gilbert and Sullivan. They cleverly skewer current (at the time) social and political mores of both Canada and America, which is the intention of Gilbert's lyrics anyway. "The Mikado" is by far the strongest of the three- charmingly acted and well-sung. Pooh-bah steals the show, but musicians will enjoy the quality singing from Nanki-Poo, Yum-Yum and Katisha- sung surprisingly sensitively. "Pirates" features Broadway vet Brent Carver as the Pirate King and Jeff Hyslop as Fredric, both of whom are good. Personally, I find the Mable wanting in the vocal department, having been spoiled by Valerie Masterson of D'oyly Carte. "Iolanthe" is the least compelling, and the "show within a show" stagehands distract from the work. All of the productions are very strong physically- beautiful sets and costumes. This is the best "Mikado" out there, go with the DVD of the Broadway revival of "Pirates" from Central Park for sheer exuberance.

"The Pirates of Penzance" was the first real operetta that I had the opportunity to perform, and have pure joy doing so. For that, I consider it very special. However, had I seen this taped production before auditioning, I might have been forever soured from experiencing "Pirates" as a show. I found this treatment of the operetta to be grossly sub-par.

The biggest flaws in this production were miscasting and the several augmentations to the original libretto. Jeff Hyslop as Frederic, the slave of duty, has an annoying, whiny vocal quality in a role that requires a seriously operatic Tenor sound. Caralyn Tomlin took on the role of Mabel with the right approach to the role's fierce soprano lines, but that was about all she did--Mabel isn't given much to "say" anyway. Brent Carver's pirate king had plenty of gusto in his performance, but the real flaw was in the director's decision to augment his lines. By far, the biggest disappointment in the cast had to be Douglas Chamberlain, whose Major-General was far too campy for my tastes. He had adequate diction, but really did not overwhelm in his singing. Despite these horrible miscastings, the actors portraying Ruth and the Sergeant of Police were delightful in their respective roles.

The second flaw of this production was augmentations. Whoever directed this production took FAR too many liberties with the libretto. I could live with a couple from the Pirate King and Ruth, but when the director decided to add verses to the famous patter song "I am the very model of a modern Major-General," I was very much bored with it. Not only were lines added, the director decided to turn what could be a simple swordfight in the end of Act Two, into a tedious 15-minute dance-a-thon by the company.

So, if you want a better adaptation of this operetta, DO NOT look here. Personally, I would suggest the 1983 film with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt, or any other production that retains the silly spirit of G & S without adding new material.

Gilbert and Sulliven would be very proud to see a version that captures the very essence of the opperetta. The Gilbert and Sulliven operettas were a sort of parody to traditional opera, and they became very popular. The first hit, H.M.S.Pinafore paved the way for many great favorites. The Pirates of Penzance was their second hit, and most probably the most catchy!

This production by the Stratford Festival of Canada captures the humor and fun of the work. The cast is quite nice. The orchestra is very fun, and the audience seems to be having fun!

The cast, as I said, was quite nice. Brent Carver, who is still very well known in Canada for his worth-while performances, gives a nice performance as the Pirate king. He isn't as much as a ruffian as many Pirate Kings tend to be, but he does the job and turns out to be very fun! Jeff Hyslop as Frederick is one of the best! His performance gives Frederick the 'goofball' attitude of love-lorn youth. He sings with quite a nice tenor, and acts very naturaly. Carilyn Tomlin as Mabel is very much the part! The scenes where she meets Frederick and goes of on a tangent of complete and utter vibratto are quite funny! She is a true singer, and her acting is very nice. The true star of this is Douglas Chamberlain in a part that could steal any production! The Major General Stanley is played quite expertly! You will probably recognize the familiar:

"I am the very model of a modern major general. I've information vegetable,

animal, and mineral. I know the kings of England in an order categorical. I am the very model of a modern major general!"

It is classic Gilbert and Sulliven, and Chamberlain does his part very well. You will laugh until your sides ache with him!

The production is quite nice. The sets are done very well, and are quite professional. Many of the scene changes are quite spectacular and surprizing. For example, in the begining, the scene shift of a sandy beach to the pirate ship sets the right tone for a great production! The costumes are a bit overdone. The hair on Major General Stanley's head makes him look a bit ridiculous.

The videography needed work. The production is taped, live and with an audience, which is great. However, some of the picture may not be as sharp as you would like, and the sound isn't what you might call...steriophonic. But, you can ignore it for the duration of the production.

There are also some modernizations of lines. These little additions don't spoil the show, however. They add to it. There is some Canadian humor which many people outside of Canada might not get, but when the audience laughs, you laugh along no matter what the joke is. Most of these little lines give the production some edge. They keep it from getting to be nothing but a sterile carbon-copy of most other productions. The time period, and flavor of the work is still the same, and the lines are worth a giggle, or two, or three if you can get them.

Overall, this is a great production to watch. I am satisfied with my purchase,(Though it this apparently not the case with many other people) and hope you will be just as happy, and buy the video and enjoy it. It really is a great piece of entertainment, whether or not you are a G&S purist or not. I'm glad they put it out on video.

I have several versions of The Pirates of Penzance on DVD and video and I enjoy watching all of them . I Have this Stratford Festival version on DVD and I enjoy it and thought it was very good and I didn't think it was a bad production at all. In my opinion all of the performers are good but the best performers are Brent Carver as the Pirate King and Douglas Chamberlain as Major General Stanley and I personally think that the minor changes like the addded character, Mabel's Bluestocking sister and one or two added songs were done very well and didn't take away from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta and I didn't see those changes an an insult to them and I thought the sets and props were good! I own this DVD and I don't feel like I wasted my money buying it!

The picture quality is very poor. At times the scenes are so dark you can hardly see anything. The singing and music are very good, but this is a waste of the DVD format.

Finally, to be able to see a full-length production of Rossini's final opera is a must for any full-fledged operaphile. The principals are equally wonderful and sing with a true dedication to the work. The production is modern and traditional at the same time using, as it does, motion pictures of the Swiss countryside rather than painted scenery. Even the ballets are included and they are charming, especially the one in the First Act. As with all La Scala DVDs, we get the quality of the original videotape with its somewhat fuzzy focus, yet the sound is much improved.

This video is a wonderful document of a beautifully conceived production of this monumental opera. The use of enormous screens to project scenes from the mountains of Switzerland is superbly handled, frequently breathtaking, and the visuals always complement the mood of what is taking place on stage. (I am contrasting this to a dreadfully silly production at the San Francisco Opera that put the performers on a spinning turntable for no discernible reason at the end of the opera.) Musically the performance is very exciting, and competes well with the variously available studio recordings for overall quality, especially due to Muti's sensational conducting. All the singing is good, but the complex choral passages are particularly thrilling, and obviously thoroughly rehearsed. You'll finish this one hoping you can get a chance to see the same production on stage someday.

Technically OK, but like all the videos in this series, it suffers from its removal from the theatre setting, being apparently made for TV. There is no live audience, and G & S doesn't seem to work without that.

I enjoyed the performance of our local (amateur) Savoyards better than this.

Gilbert and Sullivan are most well known for such comic opera gems as 'The Mikado', 'The Pirates of Penzance', and 'H.M.S. Pinafore'. 'The Sorcerer' is not one of their better-known works, presumably because its slow beginning tends to decrease general interest before the fun really begins. This was dealt with rather well by the Ambrosian Opera Company, which used plenty of colour and lots of bright voices to liven things up a bit until the turning point near the end of the first act. Visuals, as is the habit within this series, did tend to be exaggerated a tinge more than necessary, but it's arguable that this holds the interest of the uninitiated. Commendable performances were given by all, especially by Clive Revill (baritone) as the title character and Nuala Willis (contralto) as Lady Sangazure. Their duet in the second act is really quite a lot of fun to watch. I vote we bring this back on the market.

It is a shame that this seems to be the only widely-distributed video recording of Yeomen of the Guard. In my opinion it was Gilbert and Sullivan's best collaboration, but this production fails to capture its spirit. A crucial element Yeomen's greatness is its balance of humor and pathos, but the humor is completely missing here. Joel Grey, especially, in his drab costume, seems to miss the Point (forgive the pun) entirely. Without seeing his brighter side, I felt no sympathy for him at the end. In fact, all of the actors cover up the humor. I also feel that the choreography is extremely dull. In some places, the chorus walks aimlessly around like zombies. The numerous cuts further detract from this performance, especially in the second act. On the positive side, the singing (with the possible exception of Joel Grey) is generally very good. Nevertheless, if you want to see Yeomen as it was meant to be performed, go see a good live production.

I hope someone someday will release a definitive video of Yeomen. This one is not it, although it is better than nothing and seems to be the only version available. Yeomen should be much better known, both to serious opera lovers and to G&S fans. Hoever, it is almost never performed outside Britain, and not very often there.

There are two main problems with this version- it was cut to fit a TV length and Joel Grey was miscast as the jester Jack Point. There are several numbers missing from the middle of both acts. Act two in particular has a very abrupt and truncated feel. Joel Grey is a fine musical comedy performer, but he is out of his league in this more operatic work. This is particularly noticeable in his duets with Elizabeth Gale as Elsie and Alfred Marks as Wilfred- both of them very strong singers. The casting of comedians or Broadway performers in G&S productions might work for The Mikado or Pirates of Penzance, but not for Yeomen.

Another quibble with the whole Opera World series - for the DVD release, why didn't they do optional English subtitles for the musical numbers? It probably would have been easier and cheaper than including a printed libretto with each disc.

In general this is an excellent production, with high quality music and singing in the best D'Oyly Carte tradition. Elizabeth Gale as Elsie Maynard and Elizabeth Bainbridge as Dame Carruthers are both superb. They capture the parts to perfection, both in singing and acting. Geoffrey Chard as Sergeant Meryll, Peter Savidge as the Lieutenant, and Alfred Marks as Wilfred Shadbolt are also excellent. But I've given this version only 4 stars because there are some definite problems with it. Joel Grey is good, but somehow his rendition of Jack Point just doesn't quite work. The part of Phoebe is a good example of how *not* to do it - fake accent, very poor acting, and excessively operatic singing. The introduction by Douglas Fairbanks reaches an apex of inanity, but it's easy to skip it. More importantly, several songs and some parts of the dialog are cut. I don't know how anyone with a heart, or with any feeling for G&S, could have cut 'Is life a boon?' from the Yeomen of the Guard. The words are even engraved on Gilbert's tombstone. Still, on the whole, I'd say it's definitely worth watching.

This recording clearly has some historical interest, primarily because of Franco Corelli in the title role. Other than that, it sadly shows its age. The sound is thin, and sometimes tinny. It was produced to be a television show or movie, and the lip synching is often visibly un-synched. In addition, the producers think it somehow adds to the overall effect have people talking and shouting (crowd noise) over the music, so they employ this effect much too much.

We still need a good DVD production of Andrea Chenier. This one is actually frustrating, because as you watch it, and listen to the wonderful music, you think "if only this were 20 years more recent, and a good, well-produced, live recording."

Believe all the bad reviews this atrocity received. If you have ever seen another performance, you will hate this one.

I Love the Pirates of Penzance so I watched this Peter Allen version and believe me when I say that it is as bad as they say it is and I am speaking from personal experience after the torture of watching this crummy thing, Peter Allen is too flamboyant to be enjoyable as my favorite character The Pirate King and they had some old dude playing Fredric and he looked like he was at least in his mid to late 40s so why was he playing a 21 year old young man when he was too old for the part? Okay so I know that the other versions of Penzance had actors who were older then 21 playing Fredric but they looked like they were at least in their 30s so it didn't seem that bad. I don't recommend this version, try both the video of the stage play and the movie of the Kevin Cline, Rex Smith, Linda Ronstadt version and/or the Brent Carver version, I know some people didn't like those versions either but I enjoyed them and think they are both so much better then this mess!

I find it difficult to believe that I'm the first to review this video. Nevertheless, my wife and I found this to be an entertaining version of the Pirates. We are hardly expert critics of G&S, however, we take every advantage of live theatre productions featuring their works along with video presentations. Compared to the Broadway/Hollywood version (Kevin Kline & company) and the Stratford Festival works - this ranks as 3rd, with the Broadway/Hollywood video as "numero uno." We found this presentation a bit "fast" insofar as the tempo of the music was concerned - not that it was bad - just took a bit of getting accustomed to. Further, the cast wasn't quite as boisterous in the delivery of the songs which surely require "umph" to do them justice. The police (especialy the sergeant) could have been louder for sure. The female chorale group was excellent, as were Mabel, Frederick, Ruth and the London Symphony Orchestra. The introduction and intermission commentary by Douglas Fairbanks is informative and the trailer is well worth viewing. In summary: an entertaining night out at home. We're happy to have it within our G&S library.