“These pirates take Vienna by storm”: Press reviews of the acclaimed premiere of The Pirates of Penzance

“You don’t know when you last had as much fun as in the first hour of this production.” (Kurier, March 29, 2026)

“After the success of their Orpheus in the Underworld, Spymonkey have returned to the Volksoper and now once again deliver top-notch comic and laugh-out-loud therapy with the Gilbert & Sullivan classic.” (Kronen Zeitung, March 29, 2026)

“Rarely is there such hearty laughter in an opera house as there was on this evening.” (Kleine Zeitung, March 29, 2026)

“All those involved share in this success, fundamentally, of course, Gilbert & Sullivan. First and foremost, there is Sullivan’s music, who wrote lavishly fine music for the light, breezy, and delightfully absurd operettas of the duo. The Volksoper Orchestra also played its part, performing under the direction of Chloe Rooke at the highest level throughout the entire evening, with tireless enjoyment in the process.” (Die Presse, March 29, 2026)

“These pirates take Vienna by storm.” (Kronen Zeitung, March 29, 2026)

“The Spymonkey directing duo Aitor Basauri and Toby Park deliver, with Gilbert & Sullivan’s operetta, a wildly over-the-top all-encompassing stage punchline. Everything is taken to task—not just opera, which is easy and something every operetta does, but also stage design, the monarchy, the Volksoper and its audience, the tedious ongoing debate about Regietheater, and, fittingly, the incompetence of cultural leadership.” (Kurier, March 29, 2026)

“The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan delivers an evening full of continuous laughter and excellent music.” (Die Presse, March 29, 2026)

“It is an endless sequence of witty ideas, brought to life by the ensemble with palpable delight in this playful balancing act. The jokes even extend into the orchestra, and the young conductor Chloe Rooke at the podium received great acclaim.” (Kurier, March 29, 2026)

“The production of The Pirates of Penzance by the British duo Spymonkey—aka Aitor Basauri and Toby Park—manages to strike a balance between exuberant slapstick and astute commentary on the present day.” (Der Standard, March 29, 2026)

“A cast without weaknesses.” (Die Presse, March 29, 2026)

“No, nothing should be taken seriously this evening—and that is such a highly welcome change from all the far greater absurdities out there that one leaves for home delighted, after the artistic director has been fired across the stage from a cannon—and then dismissed the entire audience.” (Kurier, March 29, 2026)

“A full-scale assault on the funny bone.” (Kleine Zeitung, March 29, 2026)

“The British conductor Chloe Rooke, born in 1996, made her debut at the Volksoper on Friday at the premiere. She skillfully played with the work’s many musical quotations and operatic paraphrases, organizing the sometimes densely packed stage action with clarity and lively momentum.” (Kronen Zeitung, March 29, 2026)

“Conductor Chloe Rooke draws out the subtleties of the score from the orchestra.” (Kleine Zeitung, March 29, 2026)

“What this entertaining production achieves, despite countless slapstick moments and pointed parodies, is that it neither betrays the work itself nor its performers. A humorous evening that will likely take the hearts of the Viennese by storm.” (Kronen Zeitung, March 29, 2026)

“The British excel at theatre and satire like hardly any other nation. Spymonkey can do both: in the opulent hustle on stage, historically informed staging, contemporary satire, and movement-based marvels such as a ballet of air spirits blend into an amusing, exuberant mix.” (Der Standard, March 29, 2026)