The Pirates of Penzance, the satirical masterwork by Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert, has been rewired and rebooted by director Richard Carroll. This acclaimed Hayes Theatre Co production first enjoyed a sold-out run in 2025 before embarking on a regional tour. Now settled at Sydney's Foundry Theatre, where I caught it on the 12th of May, the show feels finely tuned. The Foundry proved to be the perfect size for a production that demands intimacy and a touch of orchestrated chaos.
It starts on a pirate ship, and from the very beginning, you know this is going to be clever. The piano is not merely an instrument. It operates almost as an independent character in the play. Audience involvement begins immediately, with some of the crowd actually seated on couches at the edges of the stage. The back of the stage is incorporated into the front, a trend in modern theater that can sometimes feel overused these days. Here, however, it works. The lighting and sound design manage the crowded stage beautifully, ensuring that the relentless energy never overwhelms the senses.
The cast spans the decades around us. Jay Laga'aia brings a Baby Boomer veteran presence to the Pirate King. Performers like Sarah Murr, Maxwell Simon, and Brittanie Shipway sit squarely in the Millennial camp. Then there is Jay's son, Tana Laga'aia, a 21-year-old Generation Z standout with a great voice and incredibly smooth transitions from speech to singing. There are no Generation X actors in the core ensemble. But for those of us in the Gen X audience who grew up watching or performing in this operetta, the nostalgia is potent. Before the house lights go down, you probably wouldn't be able to remember a single lyric. As you get through the show, the music flows back into your head like it was yesterday.
The central conceit of this production is that just five actors play every role, taking on the women, the men, and the band. They seem to effortlessly jump between playing the piano and another instrument. The way the narrative is strung together by this small group cannot be praised enough, and it kept a constant smile on my face. They managed to sound like a choir of twenty even with the limited musical accompaniment they provided themselves.
Jay Laga'aia brings an amazing screen and stage presence that easily makes up for the fact that his singing is not quite as strong as the others. His comedic timing is flawless, even throwing in a bit of local Aussie humor with a classic six or seven accent joke. The main pianist, Jonathon Holmes, was equally amazing. He combined top-tier musical ability with undeniable acting talent, anchoring the show while participating in the madness.
There was a minor faux pas early on when an actor accidentally left a modern watch on their wrist. It was a brief distraction that was quickly spotted and removed by the next scene. That tiny slip only added to the handmade charm of the night.
This production is funny the whole way through. The crowd could not control their laughter, and understandably so. The script was not above emphasizing exactly how the two-word phrase "sea men" can be interpreted, and the show features what is genuinely the funniest sex scene I have ever seen or heard. By the end of the first act, everyone was exceptionally upbeat and eagerly looking forward to the second.
When the second act opened with the introduction of an accordion, you had to wonder if the musical talents of these people had any limit. By the time the narrative reached its closing stages, which the crowd treated with the intense energy of a third act, the audience members were entirely willing participants. The cast put a few people in embarrassing but fun situations, and no one took offense or felt intimidated by their involvement.
The evening ended with a cheeky apology to Gilbert and Sullivan. In truth, it should have been a request for thanks. This fearless cast did an amazing job turning a classic operetta into a brilliant, breathing piece of modern entertainment.