These Pirates take Vienna by Storm

The British directing duo Spymonkey have made a success of the operetta *The Pirates of Penzance* at the Volksoper

By Judith Belfkih

Robert Kitzler, ‘interim director’ of the Volksoper, promises the audience at the start an evening of musical theatre just like in the old days. He says he is a conservative himself and proud to be able to present the original 1880 production of the British operetta ‘The Pirates of Penzance’.

Throughout the performance, Kitzler (wonderfully portrayed as a slim-fit manager parody by Marcel Mohab) repeatedly stumbles awkwardly through the scenes, marvelling at the clumsy Viennese police choir in their delightfully absurd fish costumes (set design: Julian Crouch), at the ladies’ opulent ruffled dresses, the all-too-good-hearted pirates, the fearful British police “bobbies”, or at the delightful wind ballet (choreography: Gail Skrela).

caption: High art – a satire that takes itself seriously

Following the success of their ‘Orpheus in the Underworld’, Spymonkey are back at the Volksoper and are once again providing the very best in humour and laughter therapy with this Gilbert & Sullivan classic. The two Brits use not only the plot to create humorous parodies of the opera world, but also tell the love story of the pirate apprentice Frederic (Timothy Fallon with a skilfully melting tenor parody) and the Major’s daughter Mabel (a vocally acrobatic, coquettish headstrong girl: Nicole Chévalier) with a wink and a touch of self-irony. The other roles also feature lovingly rendered humorous moments: Katja Ledoux as the magnanimous pirate king, Katharina Pizzera as the prim assistant and the risqué pirate lieutenant, or Johanna Arrouas as the delightfully Swiss nanny.

Clear and lively
British conductor Cloe Rooke, born in 1996, made her debut at the premiere on Friday at the Volksoper. She, too, skilfully played with the piece’s many musical quotations and operatic paraphrases, organising the sometimes overcrowded stage action in a clear and lively manner.

What this entertaining production achieves, despite the countless slapstick moments and pointed parodies, is that it betrays neither the piece itself nor its performers. A humorous evening that is sure to take the Viennese by storm.