It Really Doesn't Matter

Gilbert and Sullivan's raucous operatic tale is captured in all its fun and glory in this production, recorded live at Central Park's Delacorte Theater. Kevin Kline sparkles as the swashbuckling and libidinous Pirate King while Linda Ronstadt makes her theatrical debut as the lovely and virginal Mabel. When Mabel and Frederic, a young pirate bound to serve the Pirate King, fall in love, complications arise and high spirited antics ensue. The incomparable cast offers the best in this boisterous romp.
Despite some of the technical shortcomings of the DVD I found it more rewarding than the 1983 movie. I would thoroughly recommend adding a copy of this DVD to your library.

[@StaticYonder]

I absolutely LOVE How Patricia Routledge sings a modified lyric referencing how this song is actually from Ruddigore. brilliant 4th wall break in the name of comedy

[@user-mn4kg3jb4j]

Patricia Routledge is Brilliant and Funny! Extremely Talented!

[@MrAdaLovelace]

"I can sing a song from Ruddigore it really doesn't matter" -- class!

[@AdcrofromTikTok]

I adore Patricia Routledge's Ruth so much

[@whyis_hehere6638]

she did a great mad Margaret actually! had a lot of experience with the song lmao

[@adventureswithaurora]

Same!

[@agnosia49]

This patter song is probably the hardest to sing. The lyrics are full of consonants and tongue twisters and getting it up to the tempo is really daunting. You are always trying to figure out where the hell to breathe.

[@ThomMassaro]

kevin kline did the whole verse on one breath .. think its easy try it love the movie they made of this

[@adventureswithaurora]

So did Rex!

[@begs54]

Also, remember this song is from the G&S opera, "Ruddigore", but it fits in well with Pirates for some reason. Also this was borrowed for "Throughly Moden Millie" again it was a good fit for the musical...

[@Crowhillgal]

Now, that's entertainment! I love it! thanks for posting! Patricia Routledge is awesome!

[@Penlager]

Kevin Kline is the man!

[@johnprovince5304]

I've never seen Patricia Routledge in anything where she wasnt completely "there" every single moment.

[@margueritejohnson8373]

I was really sorry when she was replaced by Angela Lansbury for the film.

[@arcanelore3791]

@@margueritejohnson8373 - Same here, I'm still miffed as hell.

[@treesny]

@@margueritejohnson8373 Routledge only appeared in the original summer production in Central Park (which I saw). I believe she was the only lead who didn't stay with the show when it moved to Broadway, where Ruth was played by Estelle Parsons -- I think Kaye Ballard later replaced her -- and, as you say, by Lansbury in the film. Routledge was unlucky with her Broadway musical career, receiving excellent personal notices in two very short-lived shows: Jule Style & E.Y. Harburg's Darling of the Day and Leonard Bernstein & Alan Jay Lerner's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. (Two years before this Pirates, director Hal Prince had wanted her for Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, but Sondheim preferred Lansbury.) Be sure to check out the Routledge tracks from Darling of the Day posted on KZbin, particularly the riotous "Not On Your Nellie"!

[@megbailey3562]

how ahead of their time Gilbert and Sullivan really were!

[@ginawiggles918]

I enjoyed the movie but after catching some bits of the Delacorte version on yt I was so wowed by the energy, I found a used DVD on Amazon and can't wait for it to come. This will be my 5th version. Yeah, I'm a little addicted. ;-D Sure do wish Patricia Routledge could have played Ruth in the film version. Loved that the G&S-savvy audience caught & appreciated her reference to Ruddigore.

[@margueritejohnson8373]

Yes. I far prefer Patricia Routledge to Angela Lansbury.

[@ginawiggles918]

@@margueritejohnson8373 : Me too. :)

[@treesny]

I saw this production "live" at the Delacorte and Routledge was terrific; her combination of genuine vocal chops and laser-precise comic timing were outstanding.

[@kokoken1]

The New York fans of G&S obviously loved this, especially since mentioning "Ruddigore" in the lyrics is kind of a wink to the audience. And these three are just awesome. I love them all. Of the three, though, maybe Rex doesn't get his due. He had far less experience than either Pat or Kevin and, I thought, held up his end very well.

[@BethDiane]

wkyken I think they fell so took all the keys down from the original for the Broadway version, which means it's really too low for him also.

[@margueritejohnson8373]

And for once, in the first act, Frederic really was ‘ a thing of beauty’.

[@ginawiggles918]

@@margueritejohnson8373 : Yes, and YOUNG. Rex Smith actually LOOKS like a young lad. Most 'Fredericks' look over 30.

[@kennethwayne6857]

@@BethDiane I don't think they lowered anything for him, though they definitely did for Linda. By the way, found some scenes on YT from a recent production of Neil Simon's 'Plaza Suite' starring Rex.

[@nicksmith4361]

So often come back to this for pleasure. Brilliant cast.

[@beanvillus]

Here are the lyrics for anyone who wants to sing along: Frederic: My eyes are fully open to my awful situation I shall go at once to Mabel and I'll make her an oration I shall tell her I am bound by duty and my moral senses And I don't know what to do about about impending consequences Now I do not want to perish by the sword or by the dagger But a pirate may indulge a little pardonable swagger And a word or two of compliment my vanity could flatter But I've got to go tonight and so it really doesn't matter! The Pirate King: So it really doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter So it really doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter Ruth (at the same time): So it really doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter So it really doesn't matter Frederic: So it really doesn't matter The Pirate King: So it really doesn't matter All: So it really doesn't matter, matter, matter, matter, matter! Frederic and Pirate King: Matter, matter, matter, matter Matter, matter, matter, matter Ruth: If this were not a little mad and generally silly I should give you my advice upon the subject willy-nilly I should show you in a moment how to grapple with the question And you'd really be astonished by the force of my suggestion On the subject I should write you a most valuable letter Full of excellent suggestion when I feel a little better But at present I'm afraid I am as mad as any hatter So I'll sing this song from Ruddigore, it really doesn't matter! The Pirate King: What we sing just doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter What we sing just doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter Frederic (at the same time): What we sing just doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter What we sing just doesn't matter Ruth: What we sing just doesn't matter The Pirate King: No, it really doesn't matter All: What we sing just doesn't matter, matter, matter, matter, matter! Matter, matter, matter, matter, matter! Matter, matter, matter, matter, matter! The Pirate King: If I had been so lucky as to have a steady mother Who could talk to me as we are talking now to one another Who could give me good advice when she discovered I was erring (Which is just the very favor which on you, I am conferring) My existence would've made a rather interesting idyll And I might have lived and died a very decent indiwiddle This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter Isn't generally heard and if it is, it doesn't matter! Frederic: If it is, it doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter If it is, it doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter Ruth (at the same time): If it is, it doesn't matter Matter, matter, matter, matter If it is, doesn't matter All: This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter Isn't generally heard and if it is, it doesn't matter, matter, matter, matter, matter, matter, matter, matter, matter, matter! (I just copied it off the internet).

[@AkiraChan24]

I agree lol Kevin is hilarious and Rex is a sweetheart xD

[@vaughanwinnicki5471]

How have you been the past 11 years?

[@steveb6441]

Bugger me! Sod having to sing that!! Hats off to them 👍👍😁

[@oscarphile]

I'll bet after he FINALLY got to take a breath, Kevin Kline was thinking (if we may paraphrase the Alka-Seltzer commercial): I can't believe I sang that WHOLE thing . . .

[@alingib]

Nah....I think he spent time practising till he could do it - and actually planned to do it in performance. Kline - always up for a challenge

[@kennethwayne6857]

@@alingib Both Kevin and Rex sing their verses in one breath- no small feat.

[@plottinganime]

I was cast as Ruth a while ago, we have performances in march, and we added this number in... Good lord... I'm still trying to get it down x-x Patricia is AMAZING in this

[@RosesNightengales]

I love Kevin and Rex.

[@alisantetik3725]

Here's a fun fact Patricia Routledge who plays Ruth in this production also played Mad Margaret in a Radio production of Ruddigore

[@BethDiane]

Also Iolanthe in a radio production of Iolanthe. She was one of the only people able to both at her part and sing her songs.

[@michelleberwick]

oh my gosh that is mrs bucket!!!

[@trinitymplayers]

Pronounced "Bou-kay" if you know what's good for you. Btw, she played Mad Margaret from "Ruddigore" on radio, and got to sing the original patter trio! It's on KZbin, if you don't believe me!

[@bethmc717]

Very difficult song to sing,Wow very good All trained singers know how and when to breath at the right time.,Patricia has got a beautiful voice,Love her and shes funny,Wonder how old she is there,

[@DerekRoss1958]

This show was performed at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park as one of the Shakespeare-in-the-Park events in the summer of 1980. So she was 51. Which is close enough given that Ruth is supposed to be 47. And yes, she was excellent!

[@specialk3460]

The floor wax doesn't matter.

[@bethmc717]

🤣

[@kittyprydekissme]

Hyacinth really can sing!!

[@evukelectricvehicles]

One of the very best Musical Productions ever - but this Broadway recording urgently needs to be *digitally remastered* to do it justice ! Although the later 1983 movie version of this Broadway smash-hit - also starring Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, George Rose and Tony Zito - is by contrast sparkingly crystal clear - the stage version is far more engaging and alive in front of a packed house/live audience. And sadly two songs were cut from the movie version(starring Angela Lansbury) - and worse still the Policeman's Lot(is not a happy one..) song was cut very short in the movie version(which was filmed incidentally entirely at Shepperton Studios in Britain). So please Broadway - digitally remaster this legendary, long-running(787 performances) Broadway hit - the magically talented cast, crew, directors, choreographers and audiences deserve it for all time. Paul G

[@alingib]

Agree. That movie was great - but, the quality !

[@ginawiggles918]

I very much agree. The movie is fine, but the stage version is electric. Plus I really enjoy Routledge's RUTH more than Lansbury's . It would be great to have the stage version re-mastered.

[@treesny]

@@ginawiggles918 This wasn't on Broadway. It was at the Delacorte Theater (NY Shakespeare Festival) in Central Park, al fresco. The perfect summer night entertainment. In a cast full of scene-stealers, Patricia Routledge took top honors, bringing a legit voice cannily adjusted to this loose-limbed music-hall/musical comedy re-interpretation and the savvy of a pro who knew how to make every gesture and inflection project to the last row of an open-air amphitheater. Also: the most sympathetic Ruth of my experience. She was the only cast member not to do the Broadway transfer (I believe); Kaye Ballard (and Estelle Parsons??) replaced her, and of course Angela Lansbury in the film. So glad I saw it in the park, a cherished memory!

[@jasonsubhan8479]

Superb!

[@spidrawebster]

@ProdigyStepper Not sure. On the recorded soundtrack of the Joseph Papp "Pirates of Penzance" production, Kline pronounces it "iddle" rather than "idle". It could be Kline did it here as a joke.

[@AkiraChan24]

Who would have thought that that was Mrs. Bucket! XD

[@TesiaCullen]

I know that this reply is 14 years late but I only just found this and had to just say... "It's Bouquet!" 🤣 absolutely adore Keeping Up Appearances!!

[@tamaramclanahan8109]

It matters that this is such a joy to watch! Thanks for sharing. Thanks also for posting, Hail Poetry, as it's my very favorite. Brings back lovely, fondest memories of being in Concert Choir in high school.

[@ohhdangggggg]

I am SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS ON KZbin. Thank you so much.

[@anthonyrichardson8677]

Absolutely superb.

[@symphoniamaiden]

So much better than the movie Always better live I have almost gotten half way through memorizing it

[@anniespencer7879]

Most musicals are better live. I know, it's technically an operetta.

[@etraig]

love this!, and she can sure sing. ya' know, "matter" was also the basis for the "speed test" number in "thoroughly modern millie". trevor has millie type a letter about rancid floor wax.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Wow! Calvin Fischoeder went from pirate king to running the Wonder Wharf.

[@tvaddict6623]

Patricia Routledge (Mrs Bucket!) …

[@oliviathefolkie]

It can be fun to mix up Gilbert and Sullivan. Just for the hell of it, when my university's G&S society was performing "The Grand Duke," the director threw in the trio from "Utopia" for Rudolf, Ernest and the notary.

[@anniespencer7879]

As long as you didn't omit "Well You're A Pretty Kind Of Fellow" - I would have felt so cheated if it hadn't been included on the two Dvds of The Grand Duke that I'm lucky enough to own.

[@Avyncentia]

@FORGE8700 It's a joke. The lyrics, appropriately modified, fit what's going on in Pirates fairly well. In fact, if you listen closely, you'll notice that Ruth says "I'll sing this song from Ruddigore, 'It Really Doesn't Matter.'" It's in the same spirit as the quotation from HMS Pinafore that appears in Utopia Limited.

[@peterscrafton5592]

And Maj Gen Stanley refers to "...that infernal nonsense 'Pinafore'" in his patter song in "Pirates"

[@rayznaruckus]

good god ist the bucket woman! lol jk love her love the vid

[@robinweidner2402]

IT'S BOUQUET

[@ianfinrir8724]

Bouquet Residence, lady of the house speaking!

[@TesiaCullen]

@@ianfinrir8724 Oh it's YOU Violet! It's my sister, Violet! She's the one with the Mercedes, swimming pool, and room for a pony!

[@browncoatkevin]

Which one's tougher - this wonderful Ruddigore number or "When You're Lying Awake" from Iolanthe? One is three people tripping over consonants, the other is one person trying to follow the logic of a dream.

[@thexalon]

+browncoatkevin "When You're Lying Awake" almost definitely, if only for one truly wicked tongue twister right off the bat: "The sheet slips demurely from under you".

[@TheZacula]

Very good version here! I absolutely love these singers.

[@coots89]

Actually, this song wasn't originally in Pirates. It's from the G&S musical Ruddigore, they just changed the words and used it because it's brilliant. If you listen closely, at the end of Ruth's verse, she sings "So I'll sing this song from Ruddigore, it really doesn't matter."

[@soullegend1700]

Brilliant ❤

[@showtunestarpower]

What about these three! It doesn't get better!

[@rosenbluntz]

I know, right?!?!?! the PK's part will forever be ingrained in my head for getting it up to tempo, though...

[@ianfinrir8724]

So. The Bucket Woman *can* sing.

[@jimstokes6742]

Nimble!

[@gasmmusic]

Yeah, but the PIRATES film did this as well. I like the reference to RUDDIGORE!

[@christinedennison7770]

Isn't she splendid

[@skaldingur]

This is genius. :D

[@crzxr]

Patricia Routledge.

[@bexsta7766]

There's r girl 😘 Patricia x

[@bahumatneo]

Noooo.....is that the keeping up appearances lady!

[@bvdswqawe11]

I`m happy to see Klein is so delishious here,but I take umbrage to the omission Ms.Patricia Rutlege from credits and what the third participant of the trio?it spoils the fun...but thanks for posting this tasty bit.

[@turtle169916]

hilarious and amazing! XD

[@darcybrummett7004]

1:23 Wheeew!

[@lawomega1]

Well what can I say ,just absolutely BRILLIANT . lawomega1

[@rosharuo]

Great, but it's not letting me share it.

[@tucekat344]

Her: He’s probably out cheating! Me and the bois:

[@lhrlyc]

in the wrong work of course - but somehow seems to fit

[@mensamoo]

enjoyed.. Linda got a few breaks in that.....

[@neilsharpson996]

Me: Presses "subtitles " You Tube AI: "Hahaha ha...no."

[@Alex-nf1jy]

wow and i thought this tune was from Modern Millie "speed test"

[@TysDigitalVideoTreasures]

"The Speed Test"

[@naly202]

Dear Hyacinth!

[@tanneristi]

You know Hyacinth Bucket?

[@philiphaley5414]

Why was a song from Ruddigore transposed into Pirates? STOP messing!

[@HGM1138]

@islandsylph Hyacinth Bucket! Er... Bouquet.

[@hempson1]

Boo-Kay

[@TheZacula]

@TheZacula Wait, my bad. That is Kevin Kline. Woopsadaisies.

[@coolchris12345]

@coots89 ah hahaha so funny! thanks for tht :)

[@ianfinrir8724]

What's the matter!?

[@Afalstein]

Ought I to tell you? But no, it is too horrible! But yet, as a member of your band...!

[@Nyc2009ify]

Is the Speed song from Thoutoughly Modern Millie a Tribute to G and S

[@jamesbrice3267]

Has to be. Thet invented this sort of high-speed patter, the precursor to rap.

[@janspek33]

@tannerfani91 bouquet darling, bouquet

[@coolchris12345]

why wont it go past 0:50 :( x

[@janspek33]

@islandsylph Haha, sorry.

[@princesstana1]

i bet this is a hard to sing on stage

[@tanneristi]

SeanBlum

[@jamesbrice3267]

Subtitles! I need subtitles!

[@ProdigyStepper]

did they know it was "ed*ile" not (I*dle)

[@Shadowbird10123]

That was way slower than it should've been

[@JoshFreilich]

Oh, yes? And how fast would YOU do it?

[@TheZacula]

@musicalsnclassics Eh, no. Perhaps Frederic is the same person, in fact I believe it is, but I do not think that the Pirate King is Kevin Klein here, though I do think Klein borrowed fairly heavily from this guy. Still a great cast here.

[@margueritejohnson8373]

Yes, it very certainly IS Kevin Kline. He and Rex Smith were in both the stage and film version.

[@janspek33]

@islandsylph The first time i saw this i immediatly though,. what the FUCK is hyacinth bucket doing as a pirate!!!! sorry about the spelling, my first language is german :D

[@johnm2714]

Why put Ruddigore into Pirates? Annoying.

[@ABC_DEF]

Interesting because of the actors, but there isn't a proper orchestra and so the whole thing is pointless.

[@treesny]

This was a summertime, reconceived "Pirates," performed outdoors at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, treated like a hybrid music hall/vaudeville/musical comedy version, combining legit singers (Routledge), pop stars (Rex Smith, Linda Ronstadt), musical comedy veterans (Kevin Kline) legit actors (George Rose) and downtown oddball one-of-a-kinds (Tony Azito). The score was treated very freely and re-orchestrated, as it might be in a revival of a musical. On its own terms -- and yes, I saw it "live" that summer -- it was a terrifically enjoyable show. Whether it should have moved to Broadway (minus Patricia Routledge, alas) and been filmed is moot. In the park, one of the things it did well in its loose-limbed fashion was to recapture some of the outrageous humor of W.S. Gilbert's "Bab" Ballads, with their silliness and outsize characters. Glad there is a video record, though it can only suggest what a giddy pleasure it was.