Sullivan's music is full of catchy tunes and sly parodies of his European contemporaries, as well as occasional discursions into much darker, deeper musical worlds. That doesn't make it easy to sing or play however. This Pirates drew an audience whose enjoyment proved that the work remains topical, not least in its references to the House of Lords. Stuart Maunder's production, in picture-book designs by Roger Kirk, will not please those deconstructionists looking for a Gilbertian subtext, but it is attractively and wittily staged within G and S convention. Lindsay Dolan's choreography adds a light touch at moments, such as the chorus of police, where things often turn heavy.
Intimacy is the key here, in a performance that uses a reduced, theatre-band orchestration.
Every word comes across from a cast with excellent diction, vital in G and S, but then several members are experienced in this repertory. Richard Suart is a splendidly batty Major General, complete with kilt and pith helmet, Jill Pert is both formidable and funny as Ruth, and Gareth Jones is a gruff Sergeant of Police. Nicholas Todorovic puts a hard face on his soft- centred Pirate King, and Christopher Saunders displays a healthy tenor as Frederic. Anna-Clare Monk's pretty Mabel turns out bright coloratura. Lindsay Dolan's routines are witty and well-executed.