+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "Review"
date = "2017-02-10T11:33:00+00:00"
lastmod = "2017-02-10T14:09:00+00:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1486726095318/2017-02-09---square---ENO-The-Pirates-of-Penzance-ENO-Company-Tom-Bowles.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2017-02-10T13:23:00+00:00"
related_articles = ["articles/in-review-partenope-at-eno.md","articles/dont-miss-sasha-regans-allmale-mikado.md","articles/technicolour-gs-enos-iolanthe.md"]
related_companies = ["scene/companies/english-national-opera.md"]
related_people = ["scene/people/david-webb.md","scene/people/soraya-mafi.md","scene/people/andrew-shore.md","scene/people/sir-john-tomlinson.md","scene/people/ashley-riches.md","scene/people/lucy-schaufer.md"]
short_description = "With the ENO Orchestra sounding the best yet we&#039;ve heard them under Gareth Jones, this Pirates of Penzance has a ball with everything that&#039;s silly and absurd about the show. Broad, flat geometric shapes created imaginative, flexible sets; saturated blues and reds placed us properly in Britain, and flashes of green came with the young, fresh flock of Stanley girls, and a murky purple took the story into the nighttime hours."
slug = "in-review-the-pirates-of-penzance-at-eno"
title = "In review: The Pirates of Penzance at ENO"
+++

What fun it was to finally hear some Gilbert & Sullivan in London, England. Mike Leigh's 2015 production of [*The Pirates of Penzance*](https://www.eno.org/whats-on/the-pirates-of-penzance/) for [English National Opera](/scene/companies/english-national-opera/) has kicked off its first return to the stage with the help of revival director Sarah Tipple. A true lover of G&S, Leigh is the President of both the W.S. Gilbert Society *and* the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society; he also wrote and directed *Topsy Turvy*, the BAFTA Award-winning film about the lives of Sullivan and Gilbert.

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1486726476065/2017-02-10---ENO-The-Pirates-of-Penzance-David-Webb-Ashley-Riches-Johnny-Herford-and-ENO-Chorus-Tom-Bowles.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>David Webb (Frederic), Ashley Riches (Pirate King) and Johnny Herford (Samuel) in *The Pirates of Penzance*, ENO, 2017. Photo by Tom Bowles.</figcaption>
</figure>

With the ENO Orchestra sounding the best we've heard them under Gareth Jones, this *Pirates of Penzance* has a ball with everything that's silly and absurd about the show. Broad, flat geometric shapes create imaginative, flexible sets. Saturated blues and reds place us properly in Britain; flashes of green come with the young, fresh flock of Stanley girls, and a murky purple took the story into the nighttime hours. Mirroring the exaggerated love of G&S fun, the orchestra played with all of the tight bounce in this bit of British Rossini, everything full of a sense of humour.

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1486726449234/2017-02-10---ENO-The-Pirates-of-Penzance-Soraya-Mafi-and-ENO-Chorus-2-Tom-Bowles.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>Soraya Mafi (Mabel) and ENO Chorus in *The Pirates of Penzance*, ENO, 2017. Photo by Tom Bowles.</figcaption>
</figure>

The cast is an exciting mix of rising stars and ENO favourites. The young love-birds Frederic and Mabel were sung by [ENO Harewood Artists](https://www.eno.org/about/professional-development/harewood-artists/) [David Webb](/scene/people/david-webb/) and [Soraya Mafi](/scene/people/soraya-mafi/). Webb had a warm, youthful sound and charming blank-slate look about him that painted Frederic as a wide-eyed, well-intentioned man of curiosity. Mafi's bell-like sound was both beautiful and funny, and her huge Hollywood eyes helped make Mabel utterly likeable, distinguishable from the silly gaggle of excitable young girls.

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1486726466819/2017-02-10---ENO-The-Pirates-of-Penzance-Ashley-Riches-David-Webb-Lucy-Schaufer-Tom-Bowles.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>Ashley Riches (Pirate King), David Webb (Frederic) and Lucy Shaufer (Ruth) in *The Pirates of Penzance*, ENO, 2017. Photo by Tom Bowles.</figcaption>
</figure>

Bass-baritone [Ashley Riches](/scene/people/ashley-riches/) was a swashbuckling Pirate King, his voice matching the broad space he took up onstage. His clear, regal sound went well with his tall, dangerous look, and there seemed a dose of sexual magnetism thrown in for good measure. Earning easy sympathy from the audience with the pirates' jabs at her advanced age, [Lucy Shaufer](/scene/people/lucy-schaufer/) was a rough-around-the-edges Lucy. She sang the unforgiving role with a cavalier, drama-first approach, yet with one of the most impressive chest voice mixes we've ever heard. 

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1486726509028/2017-02-10---ENO-The-Pirates-of-Penzance-Andrew-Shore-Lucy-Schaufer-Ashley-Riches-and-ENO-Chorus-Tom-Bowles.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>Andrew Shore (Major-General Stanley), Lucy Shaufer (Ruth), and Ashley Riches (Pirate King) in *The Pirates of Penzance*, ENO, 2017. Photo by Tom Bowles.</figcaption>
</figure>

[Andrew Shore](/scene/people/andrew-shore/) was a Major-General Stanley incarnate. He blustered his way through perhaps the most exaggerated role in *Pirates*, creating funny tableaus with his ridiculous numbers of daughters and his heightened emotional states. The laughs certainly lasted long after his famed "I am the very model of a modern Major-General". ENO veteran [Sir John Tomlinson](/scene/people/john-tomlinson/) was a hilarious Seargeant of Police; his enormous voice led the bumbling troupe of cops, paving the way for some of the best Monty-Python-esque slapstick comedy of the night. (Bested only by the fantastic "cat-like tread" bit with the pirates.)

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1486726485886/2017-02-10---ENO-The-Pirates-of-Penzance-John-Tomlinson-and-ENO-Chorus-Tom-Bowles.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>John Tomlinson (Seargeant of Police) and the ENO Chorus in *The Pirates of Penzance*, ENO, 2017. Photo by Tom Bowles.</figcaption>
</figure>

The night felt like an honest slice of English operatic culture. It was a treat to sit in the audience, amid the laughter at the Queen Victoria gag; for a Canadian abroad, it was an exciting combination of G&S, beloved singers, and the ENO itself. [*The Pirates of Penzance*](https://www.eno.org/whats-on/the-pirates-of-penzance/) runs until March 25 at the London Coliseum, and it's a sure-fire way to have a great night out. For full details and ticket information, [click here.](https://www.eno.org/whats-on/the-pirates-of-penzance/)
