HMS Pinafore

Infernal Nonsense = Jolly Good Evening

H.M.S. Pinafore

by Arthur Sullivan, words by W.S. Gilbert

English National Opera at the London Coliseum until 7^th February 2026

Review by Patrick Shorrock

This ship-shape revival of what Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance called ‘infernal nonsense’ sails triumphantly back into the Coliseum to be welcomed enthusiastically by a delighted audience. It’s a perfect Christmas treat. Nothing very demanding. Lavish sets and costumes by takis that equal Julian Clary’s Palladium panto shows in their colourful splendour. Generally excellent performers (including someone from the telly). And stuffed with great comic gags. (Over stuffed perhaps? No, never! What, never? Well, hardly ever!)

It’s often said that that you can tell the strength of an opera company by the strength of its revivals. On this basis, English National Opera continues astonishingly resilient despite the choppy waters that it continues to negotiate with some style. Cal McCrystal is back to revive his 2021 production, which is tweaked to accommodate Mel Giedroyc in not one but two roles not envisaged by Gilbert (the Cabin Boy and Aunt Melanie). She gives good value and only upstages the cast when she is supposed to, which means that she adds to the fun without upsetting the balance of the piece. Occasionally McCrystal does overdo the comic business, with flying seagulls and an enormous cat that gets kicked regularly overboard, but generally his gags provide easy laughs without distracting from the music. Sometimes he even lets the music speak for itself, as in Captain Corcoran’sSong to the Moon in Act 2, where Sullivan’s marvellous melody is allowed to breathe and to attain an almost Verdian eloquence, even as Gilbert’s words gently undermine it. The trio remains a highlight – as so often in Gilbert and Sullivanrdian eloquence, even as Gilbert’s words gently undermine it. The trio remains a highlight – as the ship rotates and is revealed each time to have had a name change.

The substantial chorus of sailors and Sir Joseph Porter’s crinolined sisters, cousins, and aunts sing superbly and show off Lizzi Gee’s and Spencer Darlaston-Jones’s choreography to excellent effect. The ENO orchestra under Matthew Kofi Waldren play stylishly and idiomatically. It says a lot for their sheer versatility that they are able to produce a convincingly early music scrunchy sound in Handel’s Partenope, as well as delivering Sullivan’s score so neatly. These scores are often heard in piano reductions which can be immensely effective, but it is a real pleasure to hear Pinafore done properly with a full orchestra. Everyone was perhaps a bit cautious and well-mannered in Act 1 – but it is such a pleasure to hear singers who choose not to belt – and things were a lot less inhibited in Act 2 where the cast seemed a bit more willing to let their hair down.

John Savournin’s Captain Corcoran displays an effortless command of the stage, combined with such a complete inhabiting of the role that he barely seems to be performing at all. This all looks effortless, but takes real skill and good judgement. And on top of all of that, he can tap dance! He truly is a national treasure. Neal Davis provides a vocally stronger Sir Joseph Porter than his predecessor Les Dennis, at whose expense some additional jokes are cracked. The admirable Marcus Farnsworth returns as the Boatswain and is so good that you wish he had more to do. Trevor Eliot Bowes is a wonderfully nasty Dick Deadeye, although Rhondra Browne’s Buttercup and Bethan Langford’s Cousin Hebe are slightly underpowered. Thomas Atkins and Henna Mun are a delightful pair of lovers.

Having an airborne flag-waving Boris Johnson during He is an Englishman was not one of McCrystal’s better ideas when the production was new, and it is even less funny after the Covid Enquiry. But it is impossible not to shed a tear at the reprise when the Union Jack is replaced by a sail emblazoned with the legend English National Opera and the cast wave a glorious mixture of flags that represent each singer’s own heritage. This show is one of many reasons why this company is so loved by its audience.

Patrick Shorrock, December 2025

Photography by Craig Fuller