The dance routines get a mention. I saw this production in the mid-90s and even though I am not a G&S fan, I enjoyed it a lot.

HMS Pinafore
By Erica Jeal for The Guardian


"It's a queer world." The line gets an early laugh in the D'Oyly Carte production of HMS Pinafore, as well it might - after all, the stage is filled with a male chorus in fetching sailor suits, who have just skipped through one of Lindsay Dolan's neat little dance routines, and are soon to prove how well they can sing while doing press-ups. But don't let that fool you into thinking that Martin Duncan's 1994 staging, an old company favourite and bright as a P&O ferry advert, is anything but good, clean fun.
Duncan is no stranger to heavyweight productions: he has also staged the premiere of Harrison Birtwistle's Last Supper. Yet he treats this mix of satire and enjoyable nonsense with the lightest of touches. Revived by Lucy Jameson and snappilyconducted by Andrew Massey, the production knows exactly when to send itself up and by how much, and manages to be knowing without becoming smug.

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HMS Pinafore
By Erica Jeal for The Guardian


"It's a queer world." The line gets an early laugh in the D'Oyly Carte production of HMS Pinafore, as well it might - after all, the stage is filled with a male chorus in fetching sailor suits, who have just skipped through one of Lindsay Dolan's neat little dance routines, and are soon to prove how well they can sing while doing press-ups. But don't let that fool you into thinking that Martin Duncan's 1994 staging, an old company favourite and bright as a P&O ferry advert, is anything but good, clean fun.

Duncan is no stranger to heavyweight productions: he has also staged the premiere of Harrison Birtwistle's Last Supper. Yet he treats this mix of satire and enjoyable nonsense with the lightest of touches. Revived by Lucy Jameson and snappilyconducted by Andrew Massey, the production knows exactly when to send itself up and by how much, and manages to be knowing without becoming smug.

click for more