Oh, Better Far to Live and Die

Gilbert and Sullivan's raucous operatic tale is captured in all its fun and glory in this production, recorded live at Central Park's Delacorte Theater. Kevin Kline sparkles as the swashbuckling and libidinous Pirate King while Linda Ronstadt makes her theatrical debut as the lovely and virginal Mabel. When Mabel and Frederic, a young pirate bound to serve the Pirate King, fall in love, complications arise and high spirited antics ensue. The incomparable cast offers the best in this boisterous romp.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• the
• pirates
• of
• penzance

[winston5610]

A hundred and twenty-nine years later and it still holds up! This performance is twenty-five years old, and there has never been a greater Pirate King than Kline!

[justanotherbystander]

Kevin Kline is then, now, and forever the only Pirate king!

<3 you Kev! Hurrah for the Pirate king!

[canajaneh]

@MrSamHargreaves Of course live performances are better than film versions of plays and such like, but I have to say Linda Rondstadt's voice wasn't as good in the stage version as it was in the film (yes, I know it was all lip synced) but by the time film was made she'd had more time to work on the technique of singing opera. However, in this clip, who'd 'a thunk Kevin Kline to have had such a fabulous singing voice (having not heard it before seeing him in the film version).

[MrSamHargreaves]

@canajaneh That's one of the many reasons this version's better than the movie.

[canajaneh]

I like when he duels with the conductor!

[JAMbannana]

I wanna be a pirate king yyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy­yyyy

[ParodyHiga]

Signature Penzance

[NanahcubsAus]

That's funny, when he began swordfighting with the codnuctor...totally unexpected! Is that really Kevin Kline??

[DoubleOhSammy]

And u know what they say about men with big hands.....

...they can properly hold a pirate sword lol ;-)

[TheRazzleDazzler]

It's amazing just how versatile of a performer Kevin Kline is. Whether he's an eccentric inventor, Nick Bottom in a Midsummer's Night Dream, or everyone's personal favorite, the rambunctious Pirate King, he always does an amazing job.

[superdance14]

I actually played the Pirate King in a production of this recently. I studied this scene as a template on how to act and move and it was an incredibly rewarding experience.

I love The Pirates of Penzance.

[Wribbet]

I just noticed how big Kevin Kline's hands are . . . ;D