VICTORIAN OPERA ANNOUNCES THE CAST OF THE PIRATES OF PENZANCETHE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

31 January – 6 February
Palais Theatre

Tickets: $39 – $165

“Gilbert and Sullivan at their finest in this rip-roaring crowd-pleaser.” — ★★★★★, ARTSHUB

Victorian Opera sets sail for a swashbuckling summer as Gilbert & Sullivan’s uproarious The Pirates of Penzance storms the Palais Theatre from 31 January to 6 February. Bursting with much-loved music, Gilbert and Sulivan’s operetta has long remained a crowd favourite with classics including ‘I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General’, ‘Poor Wandering One’ and ‘I am the Pirate King’.

Ben Mingay and Antoinette Halloran lead the high-seas hijinks as the Pirate King and the long-suffering Ruth, following their acclaimed performances in Victorian Opera’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. They’re joined by a stellar local cast, including theatre veteran Richard Piper as the Major General, rising stars Nicholas Jones and Nina Korbe as Frederic and Mabel, and Christopher Hillier as the Sergeant of Police.

The cast is rounded out by a talented ensemble of emerging artists and features several current and former Victorian Opera scholarship recipients. This includes 2026 Opera Prize winners Rachael Joyce, Bailey Montgomerie and Alessia Pintabona, as well as past winners Douglas Kelly and Syrah Torii.

This hilarious production will be directed by Stuart Maunder AM and conducted by James Pratt. On the production, Maunder notes: “There is no theatrical phenomenon with more staying power than Gilbert & Sullivan productions. For generations of Australians, their first G&S experience in a theatre is iconic.”

“It’s a work that delivers joy for all ages and one to bring along the kids! As a show that begins with a 21^st birthday party, what could be a better way to open Victorian Opera’s 21^st anniversary season. Join the party and celebrate the milestone!”

Don’t miss this theatrical treasure.

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

Composer Arthur Sullivan
Librettist WS Gilbert

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor James Pratt

Director Stuart Maunder

Choreographer & Assistant Director Elizabeth Hill-Cooper

Set Designer Richard Roberts

Costume Designer Roger Kirk

Lighting Designer Trudy Dalgleish

CAST

Pirate King Ben Mingay

Ruth Antoinette Halloran

Frederic Nicholas Jones

Mabel Nina Korbe

Major General Stanley Richard Piper

Sergeant of Police Christopher Hillier

Samuel Douglas Kelly

Edith Rachael Joyce

Kate Alessia Pintabona

Isabel Syrah Torii

ENSEMBLE

Megan Baker, Lachlan Bartlett, Alastair Cooper-Golec, Eamon Dooley, Shakira Dugan, Declan Farr, Genevieve Gray, Georgie Grech, Hanlon Innocent, Chloe James, Luke London, Bailey Montgomerie, Joshua Morton-Galea, Sidra Nissen, Kiran Rajasingam, Rebecca Rashleigh, Henry Shaw, Nicholas Sheppard, Darcy Wain

ORCHESTRA VICTORIA

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