English National Opera’s HMS Pinafore descends into crude, and often unfunny, pantomime 

United Kingdom Gilbert & Sullivan, HMS Pinafore: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera / Matthew Kofi Waldren (conductor). London Coliseum, 4.12.2025. (JR)

I suppose I need to start by boring you, briefly I promise, with the ridiculous synopsis, an equal to the incredible wildly-plotted Il trovatore, where babies are muddled, as in Pinafore.

Able Seaman Ralph Rackstraw, regarded as the most proficient sailor in the fleet, declares his love for the Captain’s daughter, Josephine. There is, it seems, little hope that this love will be reciprocated and Ralph considers suicide, by shooting himself (or in this production by hanging himself). The Captain, however, wants his daughter to marry someone of rank, the middle-aged and pompous Right Honourable Sir John Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty (Gilbert and Sullivan modelling this character on W.H. Smith who was appointed by Disraeli as Lord of the Fleet even though he had never been to sea – he then turned to high street news agency), but Josephine – for obvious reasons – isn’t all that keen on Sir John. Josephine changes her mind about Ralph when he is about to take his own life in desperation, and they plan to elope. It then turns out that the Captain was actually low-born and Ralph was well-born, the babies having been mixed up by their child carer, Buttercup. The Captain thus becomes the ordinary seaman and Ralph the captain: leaving Ralph free to marry Josephine and the former captain can marry the lowly object of his desires, Buttercup. The story centres around the English class system, social rank and marrying beneath one’s perceived or actual status.

This is the sort of comic opera (or operetta) which English National Opera often do so well. This is the first revival of their much-admired production from 2021. It has, however, in this revival, now sunk into crude pantomime. I did not see the premiere in 2001 which apparently was, quoting several reviewers, ’unadulterated fun, mischievous, joyous and witty’ and there are still some of those virtues apparent. However, the introduction of the coarse comedian Mel Giedroyc brings the comedy down several levels into areas below the belt. (At one stage Savournin quips that they should have got Sue Perkins – I’ll second that – I still have fond memories of Eric Idle’s contribution as the Lord High Executioner in the iconic Jonathan Miller production at the ENO of The Mikado from the 1980s). There is a warning about adult humour, but I prefer my G&S smut-free. I will give just one cringe-worthy example: three sailors emerge in towels from the ship’s sauna (also doubles as the dungeon later in the operetta), followed by an obviously gay sailor who declares that he enjoyed finishing off three men in a boat, turning to reveal the Penguin novel protruding out of his towel. Cackles and raucous laughter from a few in the audience.

In the final scene when everyone celebrates being English, a Boris Johnson puppet descends from the sky waving a couple of Union Jacks: in recent times however, conspicuously waving the flag has become politically incorrect, even when flags of different countries are substituted. The loudest cheers come when a different flag is lowered, with the words ‘English National Opera’ emblazoned on it, following a quip about moving to Manchester.

There is certainly never a dull moment. Seagulls and an albatross hurtle through the air, the ship’s cat features regularly: the choreography is faultless and a joy to watch, and the tap-dancing to the sailors’ hornpipe well executed, John Savournin gamefully joining in. Costumes, especially the ladies, are riotously colourful. The set is mightily impressive.

The singers benefit from a good deal of electronic acoustic assistance. The principal characters all sing reasonably well. Thomas Atkins (Ralph Rackstraw) has a firm tenor but with too much vibrato for G&S; bass-baritone Neal Davies (Sir Joseph Porter) delivers his patter with aplomb – in this production he has a lisp and some in the audience guffaw when he tries to say the word ‘rank’; sweet-toned South Korean soprano Henna Mun (Josephine) has some glittering top notes; Alaric Green was a more than competent Carpenter. John Savournin (Captain Corcoran) admits in the programme interview to not having had a great voice as a child and I believe his primary skills lie in crisp diction, comedic timing, slapstick and directing G&S operas. Trevor Eliot Bowes, as Deadeye, is a firm singer and fine actor.

In the pit, Matthew Kofi Waldren excelled in the rumbustious overture and kept the rest of the evening for singers and orchestra alike on a tight rein. The men’s chorus was lusty and there were wonderful sounds from the deep basses. It was not enough to rescue the evening for me.

John Rhodes

Featured Image: ENO’s HMS Pinafore © Craig Fuller

Production:
Director – Cal McCrystal
Set and Costume designs – takis
Sound design – Dominic Bilkey
Production Lighting designer – Tim Mitchell
Revival Lighting designer – Adrian Poult
Choreographer – Lizzie Gee
Associate Choreographer – Spencer Darlaston-Jones
Chorus director – Matthew Quinn

Cast:
Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter – Neal Davis
Captain Corcoran – John Savournin
Josephine – Henna Mun
Ralph Rackstraw – Thomas Atkins
Buttercup – Rhonda Browne
Dick Deadeye – Trevor Eliot Bowes
Hebe – Bethan Langford
Boatswain – Marcus Farnsworth
Carpenter (Bob Becket) – Alaric Green
Guest star – Mel Giedroyc