Berkeley Repertory The..., Gilbert & Sullivan, musicals, Sean Graney, The Hypocrites, theater review Berkeley Repertory The..., Gilbert & Sullivan, musicals, Sean Graney, The Hypocrites, theater review

Hypocrites' Pirates sets sail at Berkeley Rep

The Hypocrites' Pirates of Penzance is one part Yo ho! and one part Yo, ho! Which is to say, this is not your great-grandparents' Gilbert and Sullivan, and what a blessed relief that is. No wonder Berkeley Repertory Theatre seized the opportunity to present this Pirates as part of its season.

Not that there's anything wrong with G&S, but I have been tortured by Pirates and Mikados in the past and...

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Berkeley Playhouse, Disneyland, Gilbert & Sullivan, Jon Tracy, musicals, The Pirate Movie, theater review Berkeley Playhouse, Disneyland, Gilbert & Sullivan, Jon Tracy, musicals, The Pirate Movie, theater review

Yo to the Ho! Pirates rock in Penzance

Singing pirates automatically make me think of two things: the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland with their rousing "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" and the dreadful and utterly loveable 1982 movie musical flop The Pirate Movie starring Kristy McNichol and Christopher Atkins as Mabel and Frederic, respectively, in a pop-rock adaptation of The Pirates of Penzance. Along with Grease 2 (also 1982), this is one of the worst movie musicals ever and, also like Grease 2, one of my all-time favorites. For a taste of The Pirate Movie, see the videos below. Would that I could show you the whole, terrible thing. We'd have so much fun.

I'm thinking about singing pirates because I had the pleasure of seeing Berkeley Playhouse's production of The Pirates of Penzance this weekend.

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