Pirates opera fires its cannons

Hero Frederic tries to keep on the straight and narrrow

By Catryn Jenkins BBC News Online

A night out in the opera is something many of us have thought about but never done - for the inexperienced, the Pirates of Penzance is a good starting point.

A medley of the show's most famous songs greet you from a live orchestra before the curtains go back which builds up anticipation of what the Carl Rosa - Britain's oldest opera company - production is going to be like.

All the swashbuckling you could ask for!

When the stage is revealed, the colourful set of a beach cove captivates the eye, especially when you spot an ingenious wave machine creating the effect of the ocean lapping at the edge of the sand.

When the pirates of the production are introduced, the first thing that catches the audience's attention are the costumes.

The pirate king looks every inch the way a pirate should look, with long curly black hair, a hat to match and all the swash buckling you would expect - the only thing that is missing is the parrot from his shoulder!

During the rest of the production, other cast members keep the audience spellbound, like Major General Stanley, whose amusing antics capture the farcical nature of the plot.

The hero, Frederic, is excellent as the loyal apprentice of the pirate king who is trying desperately to go on the straight and narrow.

The cast's costumes catch the eye

And the portly police sergeant offers some of the funniest moments during the show.

The singing was top quality - the perfection of their voices was as if they had recorded the show in a studio.

Script and music from the original 1879 production was used but sometimes hard to follow, but the quality of the acting meant the message did get across.

From the moment the curtain opens, the show moves you into a world where utter farce is taken totally seriously and, as an unaccustomed opera observer, it wasn't quite what I was expecting but fun all the same!

The Pirates of Penzance is playing at Cardiff's St David's Hall until Saturday 29 June.