An unusual take on Gilbert & Sullivan’s popular comic opera H.M.S Pinafore sails onto the stage at the Devonshire Park Theatre, from 3rd to 8th March and Things are (certainly) Seldom What They Seem in this all male version from local producer Hilary A. Williams.
Inspired by a scrapbook of POWs performing G&S during World War Two, Eastbourne’s Sasha and her award-winning team take Gilbert & Sullivan below deck, where the troops set out a distraction from the goings on above board with a production of the first international G&S hit, HMS Pinafore.
This family-friendly show deals with the age old conundrum of love between social classes telling the story of the Captain’s daughter Josephine who is set to marry Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of Admiralty at her father’s wishes but who is in love with a lower-class sailor, Ralph Rackstraw. Overturning conventional social order Josephine and Ralph plan to elope which makes the Captain outraged until a typical Gilbert and Sullivan surprise revelation dramatically changes the end of this story.
BBC’s Any Dream Will Do runner up Keith Jack stars as Ralph Rackstraw and Alan Richardson, winner of the People’s award for Best Actor in the Off West End Awards for his role in Pirates of Penzance, as Josephine. With choreography from the acclaimed Lizzi Gee and Musical Supervision by Michael England whose West End credits include Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera and Doctor Doolittle.
With infectious tunes and a beautifully constructed libretto this production is full of mirth and silliness for all!
Sail with HMS Pinafore at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne from 3rd – 8th March with nightly performances at 7.45pm and Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced from £14.50 with concessions available, can be booked by calling the box office on 01323 412000 or online at www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk