BWW Reviews: HMS PINAFORE, The Kings Head Theatre, March 27 2011

Long before John Cleese invented the Ministry of Silly Walks, William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were satirising our lords and masters: long before Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd were Trading Places, G and S were swapping captains and common sailors to comic effect. HMS Pinafore may be 133 years old, but it is still shines and sparkles like the polished handle on a big front door.

The Charles Court Opera's production at London's Little Opera House pares down the cast, but bigs up the laughs, sends the songs right up to eleven and gives us the English language at its most magical. Like the works of PG Wodehouse, the plot barely matters - it's another boy meets girl, boy loses girl, then boy gets girl. But never mind that, wallow in the rhythm of the words and laugh out loud at Sir Joseph Porter's account of his rise to be Ruler of Queen's Navee and marvel that the hypocrisy of Captain Corcoran's version of David Cameron's "We're all in this together" still fools some of the people all of the time. If one can possibly use such a phrase about so English a piece, plus ca change. 

As the lovers, Georgina Ginsburg and David Menezes are winningly winsome, singing of their devotion with real tenderness (as with the plaintive, melodious "Science Fiction / Double Feature" in the Rocky Horror Show, there are moments of real gentleness amongst the barbs and gags). The cut down chorus of aunts, cousins, sisters and sailors all have enormous fun and sing well with Susan Moore plumply jolly as (the not so) Little Buttercup. John Savourin delivers a fine Captain, never quite convincing as one born to lead - ironically, since in real life, he is the director and founder of the company. Notwithstanding the excellence all around him, Simon Masterton-Smith barefecedly steals every scene as the preposterous Porter, Ruler of the Queen's Navee. There must be a few rows over who gets that part in the Am-Dram societies! The splendid cast couldn't do their splendid work without David Eaton and James Young simultaneously hammering away at the same piano to remind us that, over the years, the devil has been rather generous with the best tunes and might deserve a bit more credit.

Like Salad Days (recently revived at The Riverside Studios) Pinafore is feelgood musical theatre at its feelgoodest - and why and wherefore not?

HMS Pinafore continues in rep at The Kings Head.