Full Cast Set For Victorian Opera's THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

Victorian Opera has announced the full cast for its production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, coming to 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.”

Australia - Melbourne Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL (Regent Theatre, Melbourne)

54.6% of votes

2. TWELFTH NIGHT (St Kilda Botanical Gardens)

18.3% of votes

3. MJ THE MUSICAL (Her Majesty's Theatre)

16.3% of votes

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