Precious pirate booty!
Huntington plunders Gilbert and Sullivan for comic treasures and bawdy adventure
The HMS Teabagger has landed in Boston and its “PIRATES!” are wreaking havoc at the Huntington Theatre.
Hardly the monstrous seafaring pirates making headlines of late, mind you, these swashbuckling studs are the result of a collaborative adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.”
Though the original score remains intact, sex and swordfights aplenty give the classic operetta a decided “Pirates of the Caribbean” meets “American Pie” feel. And that certainly feels arrrr-ight.
The Pirate King (Steve Kazee) and his crew are cursed and the only way to reverse it is to marry virgins. Unfortunately, the curse causes the seamen to become violently ill when on dry land, so their search for brides adds vomit and its inherently tasteless humor to the already bawdy goings on.
Led by their accidental apprentice Frederic (Anderson Davis), the men find a bevy of blonde virgins and Mabel (Farah Alvin), the lone brunette, waiting to be deflowered. The problem? They are the daughters of Major General (Ed Dixon), a misogynist politician with a brilliant understanding of “the essence of government” and a healthy desire to marry his brood to appropriate suitors.
Hilarity ensues as their worlds collide amid a flurry of impressive vocals and perfect comic timing. Dixon is especially strong overall, but it’s his “A Modern Major-General!” that nearly brings the house down in Act I.
Kazee delivers a stellar turn that feels a bit like an homage to Johnny Depp while Cady Huffman hits all the right notes as the overly-sexed pirate maid Ruth. Davis puts the dim in dim-witted with his charming portrayal of the naļve Frederic and Alvin shines as his love interest and the blacksheep sister of the horny bimbos.
Despite its silly nature, the wordy, musically-challenging show requires flawless ensemble work or it could easily become a nightmare to sit through. Fortunately, this troupe, under the impressive direction of Gordon Greenberg, does not miss a beat. Even the show’s brilliant throwaway lines, of which there are plenty, are perfectly delivered.
Rob Bissiner’s set is delightfully pirate as are David C. Woolard’s extraordinary costumes.
But in the end, it’s the silly swashbuckling “PIRATES!”
“PIRATES! (or Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder’d)"
Through June 14
Huntington Theatre
MBTA: 264 Huntington Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green line to Symphony
$20-$83, 617-266-0800
www.huntingtontheatre.org