Jinkx Monsoon hints possible Broadway return — Page 2

broadwayben3 said: "BakerWilliams said: "It's none of these things. She's in a newrevival in the spring."



Pirates of Penzance as Ruth?"

Confirmed

Sauja said: "I confess that I don't know Pirates of Penzance at all. Is she well cast as Ruth? Loved her in Little Shop!"

Yeah she is (for some idea, Angela Lansbury played her in the film of the Papp revival.) The Gilbert and Sullivan :"type" that character fills (there's a similar character in most of their operettas) has been played in drag in the past.

(I just have to say I hate the new title Pirates! The Penzance Musical. Isn't it set in New Orleans and so doesn't even have anything to do with Penzance anymore? Although it strikes me that lots of modern audiences don't get the joke of the title--the ridiculousness that there would be pirates of Penzance England....)

Thrilled for Jinkx! A great role for her.

The new title is absolutely awful.

EricMontreal22 said: "Sauja said: "I confess that I don't know Pirates of Penzance at all. Is she well cast as Ruth? Loved her in Little Shop!"

Yeah she is (for some idea, Angela Lansbury played her in the film of the Papp revival.) The Gilbert and Sullivan :"type" that character fills (there's a similar character in most of their operettas) has been played in drag in the past.

(I just have to say I hate the new title Pirates! The Penzance Musical. Isn't it set in New Orleans and so doesn't even have anything to do with Penzance anymore? Although it strikes me that lots of modern audiences don't get the joke of the title--the ridiculousness that there would be pirates of Penzance England....)"

I was with a friend when we saw this announcement and we had the exact same reaction to the title. "The Penzance Musical" makes no sense. And yes, the joke is that Penzance is a beach resort town- something that is just not common knowledge for contemporary American audiences.

Jinkx should be a great fit for Ruth, though. I would probably rather her do Oh Mary, but in this instance she'd be eligible for awards.

this is so crazy; I bought a ticket for the show in April on a whim (mostly loving the idea of David Hyde Pierce as the MG), and now I also get to see Jinkx on the same night! what luck!!

The funny thing about "Pirates of Penzance" being an ironic and absurd title is that it sort of un-joked itself over time. Not only are "pirates" and "Penzance" almost synonymous now due to the operetta being one of the main pirate works, Penzance is in Cornwall. The "pirate accent" as we know it today is mostly based on Cornish dialect- note how George Rose in particular goes very Cornish when he's mocking the pirates in the "orphan boy" sequence. ("Arrrrphan biyeeee.")