I am a Pirate King (Oh Better Far to Live and Die)

from Essgee's Anniversary production of The Pirates of Penzance in 2001-2003

[@fionaedwards4720]

R.I.P. JON ENGLISH, the one and only PIRATE KING. you were and still are the KING, as long as these are still watched you will always be alive in our hearts, and they always will be x

[@feralbluee]

ok- so he's not got the greatest voice in the world, but he really gets the soul of this song and the pirate king - so who cares!? :D

[@yumyummoany]

Alexa Penn singers with ‘untrained’ voices are called ‘belters’ and are a wonderful addition to Gilbert and Sullivan. Of all I’ve seen Jon was the best, I think I’ve seen all the EssGee productions on Sky Arts and I would have loved to see them in real life.

[@LTPottenger]

He has a world class voice no one sounds their best as they age and this is not the song he'd show it off

[@feralbluee]

methinks they've added a few thing here LOL

[@heathery1]

RIP Jon. Saw this on UK TV a few years ago and it's by far the best I've seen :)

[@wilsjane]

And what a job the conductor did.!!!! Playing in the orchestra must have been hard work and great fun at the same time. The level of interaction between the stage and pit was amazing.

[@yumyummoany]

I agree, I’ve seen D’Oyle Carte companies and other productions but this outdoes them all,

[@cannyexplorer5357]

Me too. Wish Sky Arts would show all three of Jon English’s performances of Gilbert And Sullivan again. Pirates, Mikado & Pinafore. We need his humour now and perhaps we can become a happier, caring world again.

[@melodieholton5611]

RIP, Jon. :( Thank you so much for so many memories through the years.

[@ericsouth2340]

Props to all the Pirates, the energy made it incredibly fun to watch.

[@nanas_art_tas]

Thank you Jon ..... have always and will always love you. RIP and thanks for the memories. xox

[@mattwebb02]

Nice to see the new stuff they've put into this one. Very funny. You can find the DVD of the '94 version on sale again. :) Just picked mine up!

[@IshmaelSkyes]

Seeing off a cutlass with a foil is nothing if not impressive

[@starshinemusicstudio8181]

I recall seeing this in Brisbane at QPAC back in 1994 (year 7)! Loved it (and still do). A wonderful talent, sorely missed! RIP Jon. :(

[@martinpatrick9915]

Reminds me of Ted Hamilton as the Pirate King in the Pirate Movie.

[@snagzzzzz]

This one seems to be different to the one that I have recorded on VHS

[@nickenglezos2352]

This version is from their 2001-2003 run of the show. The VHS/DVD version is from their 1994 production

[@ruthyneil1729]

RIP. Jon English We did u pirate song on our play thanks

[@Karthos1000]

I love this song in all forms, and I was very sorry to hear about Jon English's death. But for me, Kevin Kline will always be the Pirate King for me. It was the first version I saw, so it was him for the first 25 years of my life... and I don't think anyone has outperformed him to this day. (IMO.)

[@lmsundin]

@simeon2009 If you ever get ahold of this on DVD, please let me know. Copy it and I shall pay for shipping.

[@alisantetik3725]

I just love this production next to the papp version

[@cynful4763]

Anyone know what theatre this was filmed in?

[@vojenkoreis1601]

I think it was at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane. And I happened to be there the night they filmed it!

[@simeonmoore]

Vojen Koreis I hope they do eventually release this version what night was this filmed