Eastbourne date for Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance

With a nearly 50 strong company of international singers and an orchestra, they promise to do justice to Sullivan’s score.

The cast includes Ellie Laugharne as Mabel, George Curnow as Frederic, Sioned Gwen Davies as Ruth, Jonathan Eyers as Pirate King, Barry Clark as Major General and Benjamin Bevan as Sergeant.

The company comprises some performers with years of experience of this repertoire alongside newcomers at the beginning of their careers.

The swashbuckling classic deserves its well-loved position in theatrical history. It will be directed by Donna Stirrup (Glyndebourne, Royal Danish Opera, ENO English National Opera) and conducted by BBC Radio 3 presenter Martin Handley ((ENO, Royal Danish Opera, Carl Rosa Opera, D’Oyly Carte Opera) to bring to life the story of a pirate’s apprentice who falls head over heels in love with the daughter of a Major General with hilarious consequences.

Conductor and joint founder of Tarantara Martin Handley said: “This production will let Gilbert & Sullivan to speak as richly as they intended, told with clarity, humour, humanity, love and commitment to Gilbert & Sullivan’s genius.

“Gilbert & Sullivan have had a bad press. Over the 150 years since they were first performed with Gilbert’s structure, precision and flair, the operettas have taken on a very formulaic feel to the way in which the music is performed and staged, removing the humanity from operettas that are in the end about real human emotions in stories which are still funny, pertinent, satirical and touching. If you scrape off the additional layers of varnish that have accrued, we believe they come up bright and new. It’s amazing how little you have to do to make these pieces work. If you trust the material, it shines through.

“These are core works within the English-speaking music theatre repertoire: our productions seek to do them justice by rejecting the outdated stylised conventions of the past, cherishing their essence while reinventing them for the 21st century, in other words we hope to put a fresh gloss on tradition, and restore Gilbert & Sullivan’s original intentions. We aim to do just this, building an audience for the future, as well as captivating existing fans of this repertoire, performing the music in as vibrant and true a way as possible with the highest calibre of singer and with the size of orchestra Sullivan envisaged.”

Nearly 150 years after first playing in New York City, The Pirates of Penzance remains one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s most popular works, with adaptations over the years winning many awards including a Tony Award for Best Revival and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical.

It contains some of their most memorable melodies including I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General and A Policeman’s Lot is Not a Happy One.

Tarantara Productions was established in 2014 to perform the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan to the highest standards. At its inaugural performance, Tarantara Productions performed a concert of G&S highlights at Chichester Festival Theatre, with an orchestra of 26 conducted by Martin Handley and featuring some of the country’s finest Savoyards, including Rebecca Bottone, Frances McCafferty and Barry Clark.