Pirates of Penzance 2023 Revival

There is a reading happening this week for an upcoming Broadway revival of The Pirates of Penzance, directed by Scott Ellis, choreographed by Warren Carlyle, featuring David Hyde Pierce as Gilbert/Major General, Steven Pasquale as the Pirate King, Andréa Burns as Ruth, Auli'i Cravalho as Mabel and Preston Truman Boyd as Sullivan.

 

Could this be Roundabout's spring 2023 musical?

Love the actors involved. But, I have never liked Gilbert & Sullivan...and having Angela Lansbury or Mrs. Bucket, Patricia Routledge didn't help. 

Literally anything in the world featuring Steven Pasquale's vocals. Yup. Forever yes. Cannot wait. 

Is Roundabout producing it or some other entity? And who adapted the book? That's really not a money cast in terms of top-price tickets if Broadway is the intent (but as we know, readings don't equal Broadway).

Gordon Greenberg's adaptation Pirates! (or, Gilbert & Sullivan Plunder'd) was pretty fun a few years ago, with Ed Dixon as the Major General.

Updated On: 4/13/22 at 03:58 PM

fashionguru_23 said: "On my phone, so I can't add the picture, but Andrea Burns posted a photo on Instagram, and it looks like Rupert Holmes is doing the adaptation."

Joseph Joubert is MD’ing.

And OMG, the rest of that cast! Tavon Olds-Sample (MJ), Natalie Caruncho, Bre Jackson, Kristen Faith Oei, Sarah Meahl, Shina Ann Morris, Daniel Torres, Bobby Daye (Moulin Rouge!)

A few others too

darquegk said: "Who’s the Policeman?"

Preston Truman Boyd plays the Police Sergeant (in addition to Sullivan). 

fashionguru_23 said: "On my phone, so I can't add the picture, but Andrea Burns posted a photo on Instagram, and it looks like Rupert Holmes is doing the adaptation."

Here's Burns' insta post. Rupert Holmes is a good choice for this! Also, kind of kismet considering the original DROOD was produced by Joe Papp/NYSF and directed Wilford Leach, who had also done the Kevin Kline revival of PIRATES years earlier.

Are you sure it's Andrea Burns and not Andrea Martin?

 

I think Burns is too young for the role.

Updated On: 4/14/22 at 09:34 PM

I think Ellis will do right by this material, and the ensemble looks strong. I particularly like Pasquale as the Pirate King. I wouldn’t have thought of him as a match before, but he really brought out the dastardly charm and humor in Assassins, he’d be great.

I’m cautiously optimistic about whatever rewrites are going on. The show really doesn’t need it, and the idea of Gilbert and Sullivan being onstage is odd. Though with Holmes handling this, I’d imagine it’s similar in execution to the show within a show of Drood, and since I enjoy that, I can see this working. And at least it’ll give the actors for the General and Sergeant material to work with before appearing late in Act 1 and not until Act 2 respectively.

Who’s playing Fredric?

Dollypop said: "Are you sure it's Andrea Burns and not Andrea Martin?


I think Burns is too young for the role."

Angela Lansbury was 57 when she did the filmed version with Kevin Kline. Estelle Parsons was 54 when she did it a couple years earlier onstage. Andrea Burns just turned 51, so she's not that far out of the age range of others who have played it in high profile productions.

Also the character is said to be in her late forties. I know people aged a lot worse back then, but Burns is in the right age range, and I’m sure she’ll be dressed down.

Is it safe to assume the interpolated songs from the Public Theatre version won’t be used in this production or is it an adaptation of that version of the show?