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...