"Pirates of Penzance" Melbourne Operatic Society.

Friday 17th April 2026
"Pirates of Penzance"
Melbourne Operatic Society
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars)



I have to admit, I haven’t seen Melbourne Operatic Society before and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this show so I came in with no expectations and nothing to compare it to, this however, made it all the more enjoyable.

Before the show had even started I felt like I was back in the appreciative era of theatre, the MD walked in after the audience was seated and then the room erupted in applause. The overture lasted around about 10 minutes and already the audience were humming along. During the interval, I spoke to some audience members around me and they expressed their love for the G&S music and we agreed it’s sad to see it’s not being performed much anymore. Having performed in some older, more traditional shows myself I understand the appreciation for these types of shows.

The story consists of a young pirate who has just finished his training and has now decided to leave the ship only to find women on the island, something he’s not come across before other than his maid. The writing is very quick witted and funny and is directed so that sometimes the cast break the 4th wall. The Producer, Melvyn Edwards clearly had a great time putting this all together.

There were some impressive vocals from the cast, especially Major General Stanley, played by Mike McGhee, who sang a very wordy, fast tempo song. Mabel, played by Allie Sturla, has a stunning operatic voice with lots of high notes that run up and down the scale. Ruth, played by Katherine Dryden, has another operatic voice, very beautiful. The Pirate King, played by Alan Lowe, has that theatrical flamboyance the character needs. Samuel and James, fellow pirates, played by Pete Bostock and David Stapleton, are the perfect right hand men to the pirate king, they had so much confidence yet so comedic. Frederic, played by David Stapleton, showed his variety of acting skills by changing from the strong pirate to the romantic lover. The trio of girls, Edith, Kate and Isabel, played by Helen Blatch, Jenny Smith, and Sandie Clark, created some amazing harmonies. The chorus consisted of more men than I’ve ever seen before in an amateur production, this is clearly where they’re all been hiding! These guys played the pirates and police and consisted of Julian Baker, Paul Blackmore, James Davies, Barry Dryden, Steve Higton, Malcom Key, Paul Nathan, Vaughan Saxby, Stuart Smith, and John Zahorodnyj. These men were dancing alongside the lovely ladies, the daughters, governesses, teachers and maids, this consisted of Susan Baker, Paula Bettison, Margaret Blackmore, Caroline Boshell, Laura Connolly, Rhia Fingerhut, Jane Haywood, Louise Haywood, Alison Henshaw, Sheryll Hubbard, Pauline Key, Gill McGhee, Annie Morgan, Anita Nathan and Gill Neilson. Overall, fantastic!

Of course, you can’t have gorgeous vocals without a 13 piece orchestra! David Henshaw was the conductor and musical director. He kept the cast and orchestra in time perfectly. The orchestra consisted of Karen Eveson, Attila Domonkos and Helen Hitchcock on Violins, Angela Lane on Viola, Jo Eyley on Cello, Clair Longland on Flue/Piccolo, Carla Ownsworth on Oboe, Sharon Cardwell and Diane Grebby on Clarinets, Lisa Thain on Trumpet, Lauren Collings on Horn, Andrew Mart on Bassoon and Stephen Dickinson on Percussion.

The lighting by Dave Martin was pretty simple. It was a general wash covering the stage with the occasional spot light. There were a couple of dark points but nothing too noticeable.


The sound also by Dave Martin was very clear and consistent even though it’s only mics along the front.

The set was very fitting for the piece, a platform at the back, a barrel that is big enough for a character to get inside, fencing pieces around the edges, and projection of the sea, ruins and other backdrops. This was designed and constructed by Melvyn Edwards, Nigel Collyer, Andy Hubbard and John Zahorodnyj.

I did enjoy the attention to detail in the costumes. The girls were all matching but with slightly different variations of colours and patterns. The pirates were well put together yet completely random with lots of trinkety items they could’ve easily found washed up on the beach. Perfectly put together by Susan Baker.

Overall this production was a lot of fun and an easy watch. Throughly enjoyed it! 5 stars.



"Pirates of Penzance" is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton from Wednesday 15th April until Saturday 18th April 2026.


Written By: Kiah Smith

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