Writer-performer Thom Mesrobian’s Be a Pirate was a surprise solo sleeper hit at the 2022 Orlando Fringe, with Sharktooth Sam singing silly pirate songs on the surface but sharing a sentimental story about self-actualization underneath. This time, his politically correct privateer has returned with Festival favorite Sarah Lockard in tow, who comes aboard for a sequel that’s even funnier than the first, and equally as touching.
Lockhard lends her lusty singing voice and loaded-cannon explosive enthusiasm to Barefoot Bill, Captain Sam’s shoeless, Sinatra-quoting first mate. Billy and his fellow scallywags were once so savage that they’d use Oxford commas improperly, but Sharktooth has successfully reformed them in renouncing rape and dairy products. Together, Sam and Billy prepare for a tall tale-telling competition (with the assistance of some semi-willing audience members), conjuring up symbolism-stuffed stories starring cursed mermaids, massive manta rays and other mythological marine monsters.
Director Mark Hartfield sets the madcap action aboard a seafaring wooden sloop (represented by stacked platforms, a sailing mast and a ship’s wheel) while Ben Shepler’s arrangements of Mesrobian’s jaunty original shanties strike just the right tone. The final segment’s Trump satire almost threatens to slide the show off its rails, but it’s redeemed in the nick of time by a tender anthem and surprise epilogue as emotionally effective as the original’s heartfelt ending.
If you’re seeking a show to take your young ones to that won’t put you to sleep, you’ll be hard-pressed to uncover better family-friendly booty at Fringe than this not-so-buried treasure.
Orlando Family Stage
Let Me See Your Booty: The Return of SharkTooth Sam
Rogue Stage
_____
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
This article appears in Summer Guide 2023.