Melbourne’s Gilbert and Sullivan drought has broken with the revival of a pitch perfect 2006 production, which feels fresh even as it embraces the very Victorian-era Englishness of the legendary duo’s 1879 operetta.

Originally directed by Stuart Maunder for Opera Australia, as the company’s long tradition of performing Gilbert and Sullivan was coming to an end, this production of The Pirates of Penzance was revived in Adelaide in 2023. It was part of the G&S Fest presented at the end of Maunder’s tenure as State Opera South Australia’s Artistic Director, before he took up the same position at Victorian Opera.

Since then he has started each of the company’s seasons in splendid style with a light operatic offshoot (Candide in 2024, last year’s Follies), and 2026 is no exception.

Antoinette Halloran, Ben Mingay and the ensemble of The Pirates of Penzance. Photo © Jeff Busby

With the cast and Orchestra Victoria on song plus plenty of visual charm, this Pirates of Penzance is a real treat for Melburnians who have waited 15 years for WS Gilbert’s witty librettos and Arthur Sullivan’s memorable melodies (Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Victoria’s occasional amateur productions aside).

It’s their usual lightweight confection, this time about pirates, including a young man who was indentured to them as a boy, a major-general with a bevy of marriageable adopted daughters, and some ineffectual policemen.

Ben Mingay is right at home, reprising his Pirate King from Adelaide 2023 with plenty of swagger when required and a rich, confident baritone, starting with the rollicking Better far to live and die, aka I Am the Pirate King. Mingay is crucial to another highlight, the rapid, tongue-twisting trio My Eyes Are Fully Open. His vocal-visual gag during this song made me laugh out loud.

Completing the trio are Antoinette Halloran (another Adelaide alumna) in the role of cheeky, lovelorn pirate maid Ruth, which requires the soprano to show off her comic chops more than her voice, and Nicholas Jones as the young hero, Frederic.

He has a sweet, agile tenor and plenty of dash, most notably in a few lithe leaps and lunges that suggest ballet is somewhere in his CV. Jones is just right as a G&S romantic lead, as is rising star soprano Nina Korbe as Mabel. Her theatrical poise and effortless vocal frolics, including pure, soaring top notes, are delightful.

Ben Mingay, Richard Piper and the ensemble of The Pirates of Penzance. Photo © Jeff Busby

Veteran actor Richard Piper is funny and word-perfect for that much-loved, linguistically demanding patter song I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General. His typically implosive comic style arguably lacks the flamboyance one might desire for this number; nevertheless it endears him to the audience throughout.

Baritone Christopher Hillier also uses subdued comedy to fine effect as the Sergeant of Police. Young, talented performers round out the cast with engaging energy and singing: Douglas Kelly, Rachael Joyce, Alessia Pintabona, Syrah Torii and a 19-strong ensemble.

Nicholas Jones and Nina Korbe in The Pirates of Penzance. Photo © Jeff Busby

Conductor James Pratt leads the orchestra in a brass-and-percussion-forward performance that is sometimes thrillingly vivace, but the strings also shine in some pretty passages of satirical sentimentality.

Maunder’s amusingly dignified-meets-rambunctious tone is apparent in every detail of this production, including choreography originally devised by Elizabeth Hill-Cooper (who is Victorian Opera’s CEO these days). Revived by Anna Tsirigotis, every move from comically ittybitty steps en masse to exuberant gestures and poses is integral to this Pirates’ visual delight.

Richard Roberts’s set makes a virtue of simplicity. What look like giant cut-outs from Victorian-era prints, such as a pirate ship or tree, are literally wheeled out to set each scene. Add a crate or a chest, a cloudy sky backdrop, Trudy Dalgleish’s golden or colourful lighting, and all that’s required to perfect the picture is Roger Kirk’s costumes.

From the young ladies’ lovely white lace dresses to the pirates’ vibrant jackets and scarves tied around heads and waists, it’s a delicious feast of freshened up Victoriana.

There were some minor sound issues on opening night: amplification momentarily dropped out for Korbe on one occasion, and the second half had a warmer quality than the first (which I hear was a little tinny up in the lounge and dress circle seating).

Even so the packed audience lapped up this Pirates of Penzance from start to finish. No doubt many in attendance were Gilbert and Sullivan lovers eager for a fix, but it’s so bright and breezy, so full of fun and flair, that many newbies will surely become instant fans thanks to this first outing for Victorian Opera’s 21st season.

The Pirates of Penzance plays at the Palais Theatre, Melbourne, until 6 February.