Rating: 
Summary: Only as a last resort
Review: Like some others who have posted, I ordered and noticed too late that it is not the movie version. Caveat emptor. All well and good. However, even with that in mind, this is a huge disappointment. The quality of the sound is unacceptable (didn't they at least have a mixer at the boards???) and the image is scarcely better than a home video in some respects.
Rating: 
Summary: Pirates in the Park--finally!
Review: Ordinarily, I wouldn't be writing this, because I was a part of this production, the Broadway show and the movie version--but I'm THRILLED that this live performance, made as an archival tape, and not intended for commercial release, is finally available. Maybe you'll see why it was such a mega-hit (hundreds were turned away every night for the entire summer it played under the stars at the Delacorte in Central Park) that it HAD to go to Broadway! (It's also a better record of the show than the movie version)I won't comment on the performances other than to note that Patricia Routledge was a wonderful Ruth, with the best legit singing voice of anyone who played her (Estelle Parsons and Kaye Ballard on Broadway, Angela Lansbury in the film). She got big laughs every night, and was the only Ruth to end up with Kevin Kline's Pirate King (much funnier that way). If you've only seen her singing off-key as Hyacinth in "Keeping Up Appearances," you'll be surprised--the "My love without reflecting/Don't beloved master" section of Ruth & Frederic's "O False One" was changed from a duet to a solo because of her beautiful performance. Actually, TWO songs were interpolated. "My Eyes Are Fully Open" (aka "It Really Doesn't Matter") was a trio from "Ruddigore." "Sorry Her Lot" was added to take advantage of Linda Ronstadt's ability with a ballad. She was an ensemble player from the first sing-thru and never asked for any special treatment. It was very brave of her to take the risk of singing an operatic part (reaching an E-flat above high C) 8 times a week--who knew she could do it? By the way, Linda got a well-deserved Tony nomination for her efforts! So if you're interested in live theater, give this "Pirates" a chance.
Rating:
Summary: Far better than the movie version!
Review: Thank goodness this version of Joseph Papp's "Pirates" has been unearthed and released to the public! For as lavish as the 1983 film version is, I always felt that it was lacking something....a live audience. With the exception of Kevin Kline's performance, this live recording of the Central Park production is very charming and well worth the watch. Mr. Kline is wonderful as The Pirate King, but his performance in the 1983 version is far better. After 3 years of performing the role, he perfected it, and truly made it his own. Reviews back in 1980 complained about Linda Ronstadt's performance as Mabel, noting her lack of acting training. I found her to be perfectly charming and quite adorable. She's a cross between Snow White and Lilian Gish...the perfect mix! She handles the vocal difficulty of the role with ease and clarity. Her upper voice is slightly improved by the time the big screen version was shot, but this early attempt is wonderful! And Mabel really doesn't have a lot of acting depth to her anyway....G & S wrote her as a parody of grand opera sopranos. Player her "straight", as Ronstadt does, and she's fabulous. The late George Rose and the late Tony Azito are almost exact on both versions...which to me a sign of a great performer. I always heard the Rose did the entire movie version with no retakes, and I can now understand why...he's flawless. Azito could have given Ray Bolger a run for his money back in the day...the man was like rubber.! I would have loved to have seen him play the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz! Sadly both Rose and Azito were taken from us before their time. It's a great loss. Patricia Routledge leaves Angela Lansbury in the dust in the battle for the better Ruth. Routledge actually had a character unlike Lansbury who simply played Jessica Fletcher as Ruth....serious miscasting there folks! If you are a fan of Patricia Routledge in "Keeping Up Appearances", this is a must see for you! The video used for the DVD and VHS versions of this show is very rough. It's been digitally cleaned up a much as possible, but it is 23 years old! Only so much can be done! But it's worth the watch anyway! I LOVED IT!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Get a Grip.
Review: The complaints I've been reading here are: 1. Why didn't they tell me that this isn't the Angela Lansbury version? (If you had looked for Lansbury's name in the description, you would have noticed its absence.) 2. The video quality is sub-par! (Knowing in advance that this was recorded outdoors over twenty years ago, I was prepared for less-than-broadcast quality.) 3. It's LIVE... EEEEWWWwwwww! (Get a grip.) I like the 1983 movie version a lot. But this version kicks the movie version's buttocks so thoroughly that I probably won't order it when it becomes available. Patricia Routledge's performance is ten times better than Angela Lansbury's. In the movie Lansbury, after several years of playing Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd", apparently was sick of Cockney dialects, and played Ruth as Irish. It didn't work and she wasn't that funny. Routledge is funny and has a gorgeous voice. What is glorious about seeing the live performance is the energy that the cast gets from the audience reactions. George Rose, after the Major General song, isn't applauded... he's CHEERED. There is no way that this type of response can fail to pump up the cast. This really is the type of material seen best with audience reaction, the same reason that films like "Noises Off" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" don't really work. If you love theatricality, this is for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Central Park "Pirates" DVD far preferred to the movie.
Review: The movie version of "Pirates" with Angela Lansbury was very disappointing. The DVD with Routledge as Ruth is wonderful. It was lovingly directed and filmed, and spontaneously and joyously performed. The film with Angela Lansbury went "Hollywood" by pandering shamelessly to the audience with silly staging. It is tiresome and forced. Angela Lansbury's interpretation is overdone and tedious.
The performances in the Central Park DVD version are all wonderful. Linda Ronstadt sings magically, Kevin Klein and Rex Smith are marvelous as are all the performers. General Stanley's daughers are a lot of fun to watch. Everyone's joy in performing was clearly appreciated by the audience. The scenery was simple but effective. The film version, on the other hand, featured elaborate studio sets that for me wound up detracting from the performances. The video quality of the Central Park performance was on a rare occasion sub par but that does not, in my opinion, interfere with the enjoyment. The costumes in the Central Park performance were much better too...I hated the night caps General Stanley's daughters wore in the Angela Lansbury film version. Ruth's change of costume in the Central Park version were very clever...as she finally donned a pirate outfit after Frederick rejected her. Routledge was wonderful in the role. She has a great voice too.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, Fun ----But Horrible Video Quality
Review: The official description of the Delacorte DVD admits to "tiny" technical shortcomings. Tiny, what a lie! This DVD has probably the worst video quality of any commercial DVD ever made; it's fuzzy and so washed out that it's nearly colorless. It looks like it was recorded with security cameras. Nevertheless, nevertheless, it's fun to watch. It is a live
recording of a great stage production sung and acted by a great cast. This is the cast that did excerpts from the show on Saturday Night Live. The biggest surprise to me in the DVD was to see a younger (age 51) Patricia Routledge of Keeping up Appearances who could really could move and sing.
Rating:
Summary: Pirates in the fog
Review: The performance shown on this DVD is wonderful as one would expect, given the cast. However, the video quality of the DVD is so poor that it is hardly worth the effort. The audio is better but still substandard. Unless you are into historical performances, it would be better to buy the movie version, especially now that it is going to DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A+ operetta/perfomances; mediocre staging; TERRIBLE DVD
Review: The title says it all: but until the "movie" version comes out this will have to do
Rating:
Summary: Broadway Trumps Hollywood
Review: This is a magnificent record of a live performance early in the run. It captures all of the immediacy and energy of a live performance with a top-notch cast at the height of their game.It is far superior to the movie, with its cheap, foolish sets, lip-synching, and mannered performances (and, of all horrors, with cuts made to several songs!). Sure, there are seeming drawbacks to this sort of taping, but these are more than compensated for by the infectious exuberance of all concerned (performers and audience). I was fortunate enough to have attended one of these Central Park performances, and this DVD is the next best thing to being there! An outstanding record of a theatrical treasure!
Rating:
Summary: Kline is funny as!
Review: This is a really cool performance of a really funny operetta. The plot is a killer, and Kevin Kline rules as the Pirate King....
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