|
|
|
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Hyslop, Tomlin, Carver, Stratford Festival (1985) (DVD) |
 |
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Hyslop, Tomlin, Carver, Stratford Festival (1985)
Starring: Brent Carver
Edition: 
List Price : $19.99
Amazon Price : $17.99
Used Price : $12.95
 |
Avg. Customer Rating:
|
| Reviews for Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Hyslop, Tomlin, Carver, Stratford Festival (1985)
Amazon.com
Some stage productions transfer to the small screen better than others; this 1985 performance at Canada's Stratford Festival, with the actors hurling their lines to the last row in the house, has its drawbacks. Much of the broad, broad humor--such as the Pirate King's habit of mangling his words--isn't worth the trouble. Flawless voices are a secondary concern of this production, which includes an exceptional amount of dancing. Jeff Hyslop, who's quite appealing as Frederic, was surely cast for his athletic footwork, not his singing. Though Caralyn Tomlin, as Mabel, has a voice (Mabel doesn't get to do much besides vocalize), she's a screechy cliché of a soprano. As the Pirate King, Brent Carver gives a lively but misguided performance. Carver's King is an exquisitely groomed matinee idol, which drains the surprise (and the comedy) from the idea that this is a ruffian who salutes poetry and reveres the queen. That sort of imprecise thinking weakens the production as a whole. The most satisfying turns come from the Major-General and the policemen, those characters with the deepest innate humanity. Douglas Chamberlain lets the arcane content of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" whiz by in a manic blur (except when he shows off a witty new verse). He treats the song as a tour de force from a man who knows how preposterous his knowledge is and nevertheless takes huge delight in it. It's a charming performance. --David Olivenbaum --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
From the Back Cover
A stellar Brent Carver stars as the swashbuckling Pirate King in the famous Stratford Festival's rollicking production of the Gilbert & Sullivan classic that pits British bobbies against unlikely pirates on the Cornish coast. Sullivan regarded this opera - a hit ever since its first production in New York in 1879 - as the best comedy he composed. He even said of his collaborator, "The libretto is ingenious, clever, wonderfully fun in parts and sometimes brilliant in dialogue - beautifully written for music, as is all Gilbert does." Indeed, audiences will find the music every bit a match for the lyrics, with the genius of the score lying in its parody of grand opera.
|
|
Read customer reviews about Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Hyslop, Tomlin, Carver, Stratford Festival (1985) at Amazon.com |
|
Buy Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Hyslop, Tomlin, Carver, Stratford Festival (1985) at Amazon.com |
|
Customers who shopped this item also shopped for
|
 |
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Kline, Ronstadt, Smith, Routledge, Delacorte Theater (Broadway Theatre Archive) -
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price :$19.96
|
 |
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Donkin, Saks, Stratford Festival -
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price :$17.96
|
 |
Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Marshall, Howerd, Jones, Opera World -
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price :$13.49
|
 |
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Michell, Kelly, Oliver, Allen, Opera World -
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price :$13.49
|
 |
The Pirates of Penzance - Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price :
|
|
