This week, New York's American Airlines Theatre played host to the much-anticipated Pirates! The Penzance Musical''. Originally written by Gilbert and Sullivan in 1879, and adapted by Rupert Holmes, Pirates' tells the story of The Pirate King, who meets the beautiful Mabel and falls head over heels. His release couldn't come sooner. But the course of true love is as bumpy as the seven seas, especially when he discovers he was born on a leap year!

The reviews are in for this high-spirited, jazzed-up New Orleans reimagining of the classic adventure on the high seas. Dive in below to discover their thoughts!

The Reviews

Theatrely

"More than thatit is Pirates staged with wonderfully energetic aplomb by director Scott Ellis, wittily choreographed by Warren Carlyle and expertly performed by a dream ensemble. In keeping Gilbert & Sullivan's shrewdly crafted text, this Pirates! is very serious about being seriously ridiculous, and a joyful trip to musical theater heaven is the result."

Deadline

"If the cast seems instructed to play just a tad broadly, and hit the jokes a touch to hard, and the second act runs a bit too long, well, the overzealousness does little to dampen the overall joyous vibe. And just when things might start to lag, Pierce arrives, nailing every pun, every aside to the audience, every double-take and every droll observation. He's a treasure."

Variety

"There might be a few bumpy waves in this piratical adaptation, but the booty is well-worth the effort. Even though it is unlikely to spur a trend of Gilbert and Sullivan revivals, this production wholly justifies itself, providing a hearty dose of musical comedy fun and absolutely earning the exclamation point of its title."

The New York Post

"The continental leap dusts off the 145-year-old operetta and gives it an energetic oomph of swing and ragtime music, and the stage is brightened up by hot-sauce pops of purple, yellow and fiery red. Director Scott Ellis' boisterous romp is not groundbreaking in the way the Joseph Papp-produced 1980 revival was, but it has the same irreverent spirit and perpetually ridiculous tale."

New York Theatre Guide

"Pirates! The Penzance Musical comes with a stacked cast and a nearly 150-year history of Broadway adaptations. With such an iconic piece of theatre, any change is bound to stir the pot. But perhaps what makes this version such a smash is that at its core, it's exactly what Gilbert and Sullivan created the original to be: a fun, silly, nonsensical laugh with the lightest plot and a great big happy ending to wrap it all up."

New York Stage Review

"Providing just around two hours of silly joy, Pirates! The Penzance Musical would make Gilbert and Sullivan proud. They might object to some of the changes, but they would surely approve of the pleasure it's providing to modern-day audiences."

Theatermania

"Rather than a slave of duty, Pirates! is the servant of too many masters: Gilbert & Sullivan, Dixieland jazz, milquetoast liberalism, and the tourism lobby New Orleans & Company, which "kindly sponsored" this production. The recipe is for a jambalaya of disparate flavors that come together in delicious harmony. The finished product is operetta as political compromise, in which everyone gets a little taste of what they want, but never enough to be truly satisfied."

The New York Times

"Except for the central performance by David Hyde Pierce, marvelously underplaying the tongue-twisting Major-General, the production has a sweaty quality, bordering on frenzy, that's hopelessly at odds with the cool wit of the original."