HMS Pinafore

Published Friday 22 July 2005 at 17:15 by Mark Shenton

The annual musical in the Park is often seen as an opportunity for the company to let its hair down after the Shakespeares, but director Ian Talbot rightly treats it as more than just as a merry summer romp.

It is that, too, of course - and who can resist the heady pleasures of charming melodies floating above the breeze or the bright, effervescent costumes standing out on stage against the enveloping darkness of the night - but this year’s production of that old G&S warhorse, HMS Pinafore, does something else, too.

Like the Pirates of Penzance, for which Talbot was Olivier-nominated for Best Director in 2000, it rescues a show that has become mired in tradition and given it a fresh and refreshing lick of energy. That’s partly thanks to a libretto that has been extensively revised by Herbert Appleman, which - following the current penchant for theatre to be self-referential as is present in shows like The Producers and Spamalot - draws attention to some of the conventions being satirised, such as those of Italian opera.

As it follows a humble sailor who finds that he has fallen in love with the captain’s daughter, but she in turn is being married off to a cabinet minister for his wealth, will love or status conquer all?

Of course the answer is never in doubt but the pleasure is in the journey. And with a cast this good, there’s never any danger of succumbing to seasickness along the way. Desmond Barrit plays the “ruler of the Queen’s navy” with great comic aplomb, with strong contributions from musical veteran Gary Wilmot in the newly enlarged role of Dick Deadeye, a seaman who acts as a kind of social commentator; the vivacious Scarlett Strallen as the captain’s daughter; and Lesley Nicol as Little Buttercup who sells her wares (probably in every sense) on board the ship.

A delightful evening is ravishing on both eyes and ears, thanks to the set and costumes of Paul Farnsworth and Catherine Jayes’ expert musical direction.