Preview: The Pirates Of Penzance, Northern Musical Theatre Company, York Theatre Royal, July 8-12

2:41pm Friday 4th July 2008

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BEV Jones is directing Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates Of Penzance for a fourth time, at the helm of Northern Musical Theatre Company’s first show at York Theatre Royal.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be producing back in my favourite theatre, where I first directed Pirates in 1987,” says the evergreen producer, director and musical director.

“I first did it with York Light Opera Company when I did the Broadway version, or dare I say my version of the Broadway version,” he says.

“I last directed it for the Bradford Catholic Players three years ago, and I like it because every time I’ve done it, what I like about Gilbert and Sullivan is that they were the mickey-takers of their period; their characters were based on real characters that were alive.

“It’s as if they were the That Was The Week That Was of their time, and how they didn’t get put in prison, I don’t know.”

Bev, however, believes the performance style in too many G&S productions has become too stereotyped and precise. “That’s never been my style. I like to put my own mark on it,” he says. “When I’ve done G&S, I’ve always said it won’t be traditional; I have my own style.

“You can’t adapt the script or change the music, but I’ve done this show four times now and it’s not stand-and-sing, like the G&S original – and I know purists won’t like it because it’s a send-up, but then it was a send-up when G & S first did it.”

Bev gives a teaser of what lies in store from Tuesday.

“There’ll be seagulls in it; daughters of St Trinian’s; a police sergeant on a three-wheel bike; and gags all over the place. Stupid gags that have come up as we’ve gone along,” he says.

“I have a stupid sense of humour. I love Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton; it’s hard to emulate them, but I love certain ideas they had.”

On this occasion, the entertainment rests upon the likes of Sam Coulson, in the lead role of Frederick, in his last role in York before taking up his scholarship at the Guildford School of Acting, and York St John University student Abby Wells as Mabel in her company debut.

Other roles go to Harriet Hare as Edith; Sam Phillips as Kate; Laura Lister as Isabel; Charlotte Gray as Ruth; John Hall as the Major General; Terry Ford as the Police Sergeant; Iain Harvey as Samuel; and Joe Wawryzwiak as the Pirate King, in his first principal part for Bev’s company.

“All I want to do is entertain the public,” says Bev. “I’m not bright enough to educate them, but I know I can entertain them.”

The Pirates Of Penzance, Northern Musical Theatre Company, York Theatre Royal, Tuesday to Saturday, 7.3pm, plus Saturday matinee, 2.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

* Northern Musical Theatre Company’s next show will be Showtime Spectacular 3 at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from October 7 to 11. Planned for 2009 are Summer Holiday next April and West Side Story in the summer.