I STRONGLY recommend "The Pirates of Penzance". Kevin Kline steals the show as the "Pirate King". He is fabulously funny!!! His looks, voice and energetic acting make him the perfect Pirate King. Angela Lansbury adds to the fun as Ruth, a maid-of-all-work who has seen better days. Linda Ronstadt as Mabel shows off her versatile voice and gets into the silly spirit of Gilbert and Sullivan. Rex Smith does an adequate job as Frederick, the slave of duty who is forced by fate to serve as a pirate.
If you think opera is boring, give this a try! Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are hilarious and this version has lots of fun with Gilbert's humor. There is one "Abbott and Costello"-like turn on the word "orphan" that cracks me up! The contrast between the cocky confidence of Kline and his pirates and the quaking-yet-committed police force is a joy to behold. The "Major General's Song" has been parodied so many times (perhaps most notably as Tom Lehrer's listing of all of the chemical elements) that it is instantly recognizable even if you do not know the operetta. The cast has such fun with this it is hard not to be drawn into it.
All-in-all, "The Pirates of Penzance" is a modern update that loses neither the spirit nor the substance of Gilbert and Sullivan's original. See this movie - soon.
