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Produced by Pocket Sandwich Theatre
Reviewed by David Ellivloc
Going to the Pocket Sandwich
Theatre is an event, not merely an evening of theater and, as you might
expect given the place’s name, the sandwiches are great (I had the tasty Reuben
this time ... and my friend’s salad was delicious as well, not that I was
offered a nibble before it disappeared).
Note that you are not required to buy food or drink. However, if one comes early, say between 6:30
pm to 7:15 pm (earlier as better) as we did, then you can have a genuinely
enjoyable conversation before the show, given you come with the right peeps, as
well as good eats and drinks.
Never been to a melodrama? No worries as the handsome and charming David
‘Kiwi’ Keller, who plays Sam Sculler along with other characters in the
show, will explain it all for you before the performance starts. At the Pocket, you get to boo the villains, cheer the heroes, and
get mushy with “aaaaahs” for those tender moments. There are even musical cues to indicate when
it’s time for a boo, a huzzah, or an aaaah, provided by the fabulous Piano
Player Timothy Flippo, whose underscoring throughout the show adds
to the ambience. And, at a melodrama, you
get to throw the popcorn all ‘round. The
first basket of popcorn, per couple, is free, with additional popcorn available
for purchase at a nominal charge. Keller
even explains the rules for popcorn tossing.
Kicking
off the performance is the cast, parading through the theatre, as they and the
audience sing two piratical ditties. The
lyrics are printed in the show program, so you’ll be able to sing along,
especially since most folks are familiar with the two songs. Did I mention this is an excellent time to
begin pelting the actors and each other with popcorn?
Our
titular villain, Captain Bartholomew Blood, is played by the handsome Matthew
Edwards who can buckle his swash with the best of them. With tongue planted firmly in cheek Edwards
glides across the stage with the elegance of a dancer coupled with the
fierceness of a blood thirsty pirate. Edwards’
interplay with the audience is very funny, as is his interplay with the other
actors, and he gleefully earns his boos with genuine villainy. His right-hand man, Clandester Hardbore,
is played with explosions of volcano like violence by Patrick Douglas. The best bumbling pirates of all-time are
surely Lauren Ashley Hearn’s Jamaica Rummson and D. Aidan
Wright’s Perdition Wagstaff.
These two play off each other so well and are truly at sea in every
sense of the phrase. Bess Cutter,
as played by Ariana Stephens, is a lusty and luscious pirate wench with
a tender heart, and it’s compelling as she struggles to find true love. Meanwhile, happy to find love often and
anywhere, even if it isn’t true, is Abigail Woodfork, played with a
gleeful daffiness by Isabell Moon that is quite engaging, and delights
the audience as the girl who just can’t say no.
Sarah Perkin’s Floradell Ragend may not sail the seven
seas, but she does sail under both the Union Jack and the pirate flag. Perkin’s throws herself into the
character starting with the most ridiculous makeup, which hides her alluring
visage under a sort of Restoration meets Raggedy Ann makeup design. Her comic talents are on full display here,
as they were in Pocket’s recent How The Other Half Loves. Shauna Holloway also plays both sides
of the flag as the vile Patty Waxend, displaying some excellent physical
comedy while hilariously chewing the pirate scenery.
Salvador Elias is our young hero Jack Sculler, played
with an earnest conviction and sense of urgency as he strives to foil Blood. His partner in heroics is Benjamin
Muscanere’s Harry Halyard, who is great fun to watch as he eagerly
runs headlong into trouble and the occasional sword. David ‘Kiwi’ Keller plays Jack’s
father, Sam Sculler, and his concern for his son’s safety is
moving. Keller, a versatile
performer, next pops up as the ugliest pirate ever and then finally appears as
the sort of pirate who might grace the cover of a trashy pirate romance. Jennifer Nachazel’s Lorna
Meadowsong is prettily played and her love for young Jack is palpable. Keep your eyes peeled for Will Frederick’s
manically mercurial Oliver Sourjohn, who may be the true hero of this
story.
Rounding
out this surfeit of sailors are the excellent actors Melakeh Brooks as Dorcas
Welborn/Patience Clapsaddle, Timothy Charles Jones as Captain
Matthew Cross, Chuck E. Moore as Admiral Benjamin Prow, Chris
Rodgers as Will Wallit, and Jared Seman as Sir Roland
Ragend. Each adds a great deal of
fun and frolic to the proceedings.
Robert Clark’s Set Design is spare yet clever, with the
one ship set standing in for a whole bevvy of boats, using a double-sided flag
set center stage with the Union Jack on one side and the Skull and Crossbones
on the other to indicate in which ship the action is taking place. Sarah Hearn’s Costume Design
adds to the seagoing atmosphere and suits each character. Director Nick Haley has helmed
a fun and engaging production that will leave you laughing, and longing for
adventure. You should be made to walk
the plank if you miss this one! Stage Manager Elizabeth Loyle Carr is commended for
running a very tight ship!
Audience
Rating: PG-13 due to
references to extramarital sex and violence.
Running
Time: Approximately two hours with two 15-minute
intermissions.
Accessible
seating: Available
Hearing
Devices Available: Not
Available
Sensory
Friendly Showing: Not
Available
Production
Sound Level: Comfortable
Volume Level
Noises
and Visuals to Know About: Yelling and physical fights, including with swords and pistols. Pistol
shots.
See you at
the theater!
David
Ellivloc
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