December 24, 2008.

Strictly for collectors?.

Rating: 3
I bought this DVD because of my addiction to Gilbert & Sullivan, and "Pirates" in particular, but I hesitate to recommend it to someone encountering the opera for the first time (not that there are any other better options on the market, regrettably). It is full of energy and great fun but, as other reviewers have noted, the picture quality is often very poor, and, especially in the choruses, the sound is frequently "muddy". Kevin Kline and the other principals who went on to make the later "Pirates" film are all in good voice here (although I cannot understand why George Rose introduced the irritating nasal whine in "I am an orphan boy" here, which he later repeated in the film - there must be some subtle cultural reference that I am missing). Linda Ronstadt seems less secure in her singing than she was in the film, but perhaps that is just the result of a live performance as opposed to multiple takes. I agree with other reviewers that Patricia Routledge's performance as Ruth is outstanding, far better than Angela Lansbury's in the film. For any G&S fan, that alone is good enough reason to buy the DVD.

December 24, 2008.

I wanted the movie.

Rating: 3
My mistake. This is good, but I liked the movie better than this filmed stage play. I hope the movie comes to DVD soon.

December 23, 2008.

Looks like it was made by an amature film company.

Rating: 1
This is the worst DVD I have ever seen. I love the VHS version and I have been waiting for the Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline to come out on DVD for years. I had a lazer disc of it years ago and loved it. The picture on this DVD is so bad it is unviewable. It is blurry and was obviously done on a home camera. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS. The audio is poor also so it cannot even be used as a CD.

December 23, 2008.

Delacorte Theater version - Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance .

Rating: 2
I was hoping to get the version with Angela Lansbery but it appears this version is not available in DVD. Please let me know when it is available as i would like to purchase it.

December 29, 2008.

Good, but the film version released in America is better.

Rating: 4
I do enjoy Patricia Rutledge, from ages of watching her perform in BBC Keeping Up Appearances as a social climbing civil servants wife. Her skill as a singing actress is every bit as delightful as her portrayal of Hyacinth in that series. As a staged version this is excellent. However, I do remember the film version which was released with Angela Lansbury playing the part of the nurse. Obviously there is more you can do with a filmed version than you can with a staged version. Kevin Kline's antics in the film version of "I Am a Pirate King" allowed for much more than you can do on stage, and Tony Azevedo as the policeman with his Keystone Cops gang were highlighted with the camera angles and staging. Saying this, it must be remembered that any performance of Pirate's will by nature be performed on a stage, and this is an excellent reference for what is possible on stage.