I think that the general mood of criticism about this production of HMS Pinafore and of Frankie Howerd's performance in particular is very unfair indeed. Generally speaking this production is an excellent straight adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan which is beyond reproach with regard to the various leads (I believe the actor playing th Captain was an American game show host but having no reference to this I just think he is a perfectly good singer) and on my DVD version the sound is super. Frankie Howerd in the role of Sir Joseph Porter has come in for a lot of criticism but having heard so many baritones sing the role from Henry Lytton onwards I absolutely loved the performance. I accept that he does not sing (he speaks with a good sense of rhythm) and that he injects his own mannerisms into the role but I personally think it riffs well with the tone and is very funny (watch his reaction when delivering the line about the common sailor being bulwarks of the empire). I think that G & S are treated with such (understandable) reverence that productions can sometimes become rather stilted and encased in aspic and that Howerd's performance whilst not to everyones taste at least constitutes a good attempt to inject a bit of personality into the role.
Review of H.M.S. Pinafore
