Pirates of Penzance

This time Monks has turned his hand to Gilbert and Sullivan classic The Pirates of Penzance. But like Monks' previous effort, this is no traditional production. The opening sets a tone, as men in black suits and dark glasses bring on one of their number, blind-folded and about to be doused in petrol. From that twisted opening onwards, what follows diverts wildly from the original.

This is a world with pirates who dress Reservoir Dogs style, yet coexist happily with abseiling posh girls and a Major General in scuba gear and flippers.

The basics of the plot have not been tampered with too much. Frederic (Stephen Carlile) is a pirate apprentice who was mistakenly indentured into service with the Pirate King (Craig Purnell) by his hard-of-hearing nurse Ruth (Julie Jupp). Frederic then falls in love with one of the daughters of Major-General Stanley (Alan McMahon): the wonderfully myopic Mabel played by the excellent Philippa Stanton in a very jolly hockey sticks fashion. The play follows Frederic's attempt to leave the employ of the Pirate King, but in this case the plot is not that important, seeing as the play is so much fun.

The cast is uniformly strong; they all have good voices, and more importantly they all seem to be having a really good time. And Tim Meacock's fun design makes good use of the small space, allowing plenty of room for the actors to run around, while adding some inspired and quirky touches. One area of the Orange Tree is now a cliff that the daughters abseil down and later there is some very clever usage of a tent and some velcro. More than that, I challenge anyone not to laugh at the 'sandcastle' used in the second half as a cunning disguise for one of the characters.

John Harris has created a simple but effective lighting design, making you feel that you are indeed on a sunny beach and the sequence where Frederic writes Mabel's name in the sand is very clever.

This production is absurd certainly, but wonderful fun, and there is a slightly thrown-together, ramshackle quality to it, but to be honest this simply adds to its charm. A wonderful way to start 2007.

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