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At the end of this unlikely tale we’re left with a simple message: as long as you’re not an agent of the patriarchy, just be who you want to be.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Female pirates, Anne Bonny (Ro Suppa) and Mary Read (Elizabeth Chu), were non-conformists– rebels who rejected the straight-and-narrow life of respectable 18th-century women, preferring sex, rum, adventure, and the camaraderie of the seas. With ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham (Eleanor Colville), the third leg of their maritime threesome, they sailed the oceans during the Golden Age of Piracy. Iconoclastic as they were, I wonder if they would be appalled that their lives have been appropriated for this raucous musical comedy, or flattered to be immortalized as free-spirited free-lovers, with Anne as the prototypical pansexual, equally turned on by Calico Jack’s capable captaincy and Mary’s femininity, repulsed by her own breasts and the prospect of pregnancy, but wary of playing anything other than herself.
The show opens with the first of several very jaunty expositional songs. The tunes are catchy, the lyrics witty, the cast of four harmonise beautifully, and there is plenty of vigorous choreography. We’re then introduced to the embodiment of the patriarchy: Anne’s humourless, oppressive, and not entirely historically accurate husband, Charles. Another character who possibly wasn’t known to the real Anne Bonny is Ivana Cracker: a drag queen on land but at sea, like so many others, hiding their true identity, and masquerading as the ship’s parrot. Like true pirates, Airlock Theatre take a few liberties with the story they’ve plundered, but Robbie Taylor Hunt, in Ivana’s feathered mini-dress, is fabulous as the prima donna manqué, and equally brilliant as the rest of the ship’s crew and the kraken.
The story itself is told in a very amusing way, with elements of farce, comic violence, creative puppetry and plenty of good old-fashioned camp. But some of the best laughs come from bonus gags. The Navy recruitment campaign ads define their target audience by outlining a series of toxically masculine traits. The story of a death by shark is brilliantly absurd while a rambling series of similes finally delivers an unexpectedly funny punchline.
Set and costume designer, Caitlin Mawhinney, has understood the assignment. On board the ship, everything is standard “pirate,” albeit with one hideous and anatomically incorrect nude suit. Overboard, where the waves roll artistically, everything is a lot more trippy, and the comedy of a smoking dolphin doula is only increased by the tokenism of its costume.
At the end of this unlikely tale, made even more unlikely by Airlock Theatre’s exuberant telling, we’re left with a simple message: as long as you’re not an agent of the patriarchy, just be who you want to be. Be lesbian, be pansexual, be a landlubber, be a seafarer, it’s all good. So, in this spirit of acceptance and honesty, I feel emboldened to say that I found the show’s graphic sex chat and encyclopedic genital slang a little too much. But in case there’s any risk of being made to walk the plank for my prudishness, I should also say that the inventive comedy, fabulous costumes, great performances and wonderful music still made for a very entertaining, and surprisingly thought-provoking evening.
Created by: Eleanor Colville, Ro Suppa, Robbie Taylor Hunt
Directed by: Robbie Taylor Hunt
Orchestration and Musical Direction by: Erin Rydal, Simon McKenzie
Fight Direction by: Enric Ortuño
Choreography by: Sara Green
Set and costume design by: Caitlin Mawhinney
Lighting Design by: Catja Hamilton
Sound Design by: Anna Short
Produced by: Airlock Theatre
Pansexual Pregnant Piracy plays at Soho Theatre until 13th April. Further information and booking can be found here. Performance BSL Interpreted by Pettra St Hilaire: Fri 12 Apr, 7pm
