Richard Temple (pictured below) was the third Pirate King ever
(after Frederick Federici and the Irish-American opera singer
known, rather delightfully, as Signor Brocolini) when he took
the role in the London premiere production at Opera Comique in
1880. This season came after a reading of the play in Paignton,
Devon in 1879 (featuring Federici, staged to secure the UK
copyright) and a proper season on Broadway in the same year
(featuring Brocolini, intended to secure US copyright).
The actor who is perhaps best associated with the Pirate King is
Kevin Kline (pictured below with dramatic back lighting), who
played the role in the enormously successful New York production
that was staged on the Delacorte Theater in Central Park in 1980
and trasferred to Broadway in 1981. The production also starred
Linda Ronstadt as Mabel, Rex Smith as Frederic and Patricia
Routledge as Ruth, and was turned into a film in 1983 with Angela
Landsbury stepping in to play the role of Ruth.
The first authorised Australian production of The Pirates of
Penzanceopened at the Theatre Royal in Sydney in 1881,
produced by J. C. Williamson. It has been popular ever since and
one notable production toured the country in 1984 and boasted a
cast that featured Jon English in very tight pants as the Pirate
King (pictured), Marina Prior as Mabel and Simon Gallaher as
Frederic.
Most recently in Australia, Anthony Warlow has been the Pirate King
for Opera Australia in a production that was first performed in
2007. Here he is singing the signature song for this
character:
On a final note, we must include in this list the somewhat less
impressive but no less appealing (especially to people from a
certain generation) 1982 Australian film spoof of The
Pirates of Penzancecalled The Pirate Moviethat
starred Ted Hamilton as the Pirate King. Here he is, doing his
thing:
By Alex Lalak
The
Pirates of Penzance, Sydney Theatre, 8-24
November, 2012.
Gallery: The Pirate King
Date posted: 28 Sep 2012Author: STC