HMS Pinafore

There’s a very particular, joyfully chaotic kind of magic to the staging of HMS Pinafore at English National Opera and, under the direction of Cal McCrystal, that magic becomes full-blown pandemonium. From the moment the cast lurches aboard the “HMS Pinafore” - a ship which has never moved from its Portsmouth dock or its place in heart of its many fans since 1878 - you know this is not the strait-laced Gilbert & Sullivan of yore: this is an operetta with a cartoon’s heart and the energy of a seaside fun-fair.

McCrystal is a master of physical comedy and he folds it into almost every scene. The deck becomes a slippery stage of controlled chaos: sailors tumble, officers stumble, and at one point the ship’s cat falls overboard. It’s slapstick with nautical flair, the kind of gleeful absurdity that forced even the most prim Victorian purist to grin.

Much of the humour is amplified by clever meta touches. The surprise periodic appearances by guest star Mel Giedroyc — doubling hilariously as both Cabin Boy and Aunt Matilda — are a delight. Giedroyc breaks the fourth wall with ease, as does John Savournin in the role of Captain Corcoran. On one occasion, he glances toward off-stage and asks, “Can we turn the sea noise down?”, a cheeky stage-direction-as-punchline that is a lovely theatrical wink: the show knows it’s a show, and invites us to laugh as much at the backstage machinery as at the plot itself.

Then there are the old jokes — the ones that would make Victorian audiences snort — and somehow McCrystal keeps them alive and kicking amid those of his own reckoning: there are puns aplenty, wisecracks and innuendo to spare and, when the crew break out into a joyous rendition of “He is an Englishman", a Boris-like figure appears abandoned and aloft on a zipwire at the rear of the stage, waving two Union Jacks.

It’s ridiculous. It’s unsubtle. And it absolutely works. For those in the know, there’s also a cheeky nod to Les Dennis, the previous guest-star. That kind of in-joke doesn’t derail the show, rather it adds an affectionate patina of continuity, like spotting a familiar face in a family photo album.

For all that, there’s a sensation that McCrystal (who also directs the annual Gifford’s Circus production) has gone overboard with the modern comedy at the expense of the classic tomfoolery. A few later scenes felt a little too frenetic, as though the production was desperate to outdo itself gag after gag. For those who came expecting delicate lyricism or a traditional Pinafore, this could be overwhelming.

Nonetheless, the joy of the performance with its belly-laughs, the surprises, the warmth carries you through. It’s not a sterile museum piece: it’s loud, it’s silly, it’s affectionate, and it feels alive. If you’re willing to give over to its hijinks, to embrace the clatter and the chaos, you’ll find Pinafore transformed: a sea-faring caper that bridges two centuries with a grin.

If you want your opera to sit primly on a pedestal, maybe look elsewhere. But if you crave theatricality, humour, and unabashed fun then this HMS Pinafore is absolutely worth sailing with.

The ENO's HMS Pinafore continues at London Coliseum until 7 February.