By Luke Voogt
Six prolific Australian actors will bring one of the greatest plays of all time to Geelong – with a modern twist.
Giving the 138-year-old Pirates of Penzance a 21st Century “immediacy” was a unique challenge for West End veteran Philip Gould.
“If the public today saw traditional Gilbert and Sullivan – unless you’re diehard fan – you’d probably fall asleep,” he said.
But like the writers of the swashbuckling original, the actors still poke fun at public figures of their time, with promoters warning the 2018 version “contains nuts and Donald Trump additives”.
“Gilbert and Sullivan would write scathing comments about public figures, especially politicians, and make them look silly,” Gould said.
“We’ve put a couple of surprises in there that people will really love.”
Gould plays the Pirate King, alongside veteran singers Brian Hannan, Alison Jones, Caroline Vercoe and Chris McKenna, with Dominic Woodhead on piano.
With the cast’s wealth of theatre experience they were more than comfortable improvising as the show toured Australia, Gould said.
“Suddenly a look, a gesture or something comes out and fits in really well – so we keep it.”
Crowds across the country were taking a shine to the play as it made its way towards Geelong, Gould said.
“They’re always beaming, smiling and laughing – they’ve always had a great time – which is a great a comfort for us because we know we’ve done our job.”
Pirates of Penzance comes to Geelong Performing Arts Centre for the Musical Mornings program at 10.30am on 28 February and 1 March.
