‘Hopeless!’ Pirates of Penzance sparks backlash after introducing woke ”trigger warning’
The English National Opera has issued a trigger warning for “alcohol misuse” at its production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, referring to a scene involving a glass of sherry.
Theatregoers at the London Coliseum were greeted with a sign cautioning about “references to alcohol misuse and mild violence” in the classic opera.
The warning has drawn mockery from critics, with some questioning whether Victorian-era entertainment has become too controversial for modern audiences.
Dr Annette Rubery, a biographer, responded to the warning by stating: “Amazing. We’re actually offended by the Victorians.”
Music critic Richard Bratby ridiculed the warning on social media, explaining that the “alcohol misuse” merely involved someone pouring a glass of sherry.
“I’ve been a venue manager,” Bratby wrote. “You have a duty of care to your public; there are many instances when content warnings are useful and necessary… But I must admit, I’d probably have let a single reference to sherry pass.”
“I guess that makes my late Grandmother George Best,” he added wryly.
Classical music blogger Norman Lebrecht was equally scathing, declaring that the opera company’s management “needs to walk the plank” and branding the ENO “hopeless”.
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The Victorian opera, which first premiered in Devon before its London debut in April 1880, tells the tale of Frederic, a pirate’s apprentice who falls in love with a major general’s daughter.
The plot takes an unusual twist when Frederic, set to be released from his apprenticeship at age 21, discovers a peculiar complication due to his February 29 birth date, which technically makes him still a youngster.
The current production at the London Coliseum opened earlier this month and will continue its run from January 24 to February 21 next year.
The ENO’s trigger warning joins a series of controversial content notices at London theatres this year.
In April, the Lilian Baylis Studio in Finsbury warned audiences about the “uncomfortable” sound of actors eating oranges on stage during their production of “Out”.
The Globe Theatre faced criticism for instructing staff to replace words like “gentleman” with “someone” and to avoid using “guys”.
Dame Judi Dench notably spoke out against such theatrical warnings, suggesting that theatregoers requiring trigger warnings should simply stay at home, particularly regarding Shakespeare productions.
The ENO has been approached for comment regarding their sherry warning.