The age-old battle that young people must face—exploring the freedom of adulthood or remaining true to prior commitments—takes center stage during the Great American Melodrama’ s Pirates of Pismo-A-Go-Go.
In an adaptation of The Pirates of Penzance, New York-based actor Jeffrey Laughrun takes the stage as Frederic, an inexperienced boy who’s spent his life on the road with the Pirate King’s motorcycle gang and now at the ripe age of 21 wants to break free and live out his lifelong dream of being a surfer.
However, his overbearing and slightly lustful nanny, played by Jill Price, isn’t ready for Freddy to fly the coop yet and looks to do everything in her power to make him stay with the Pirate King. But Freddy doesn’t really care about his nanny’s pleas for him to stay and immediately sets out to Pismo Beach to go surf some waves.
While every actor was incredible and made the play an enjoyable and hilarious experience, I have to say that Price really stole the show. As soon as I sat down with my Hazy IPA and nachos, Price hopped on the stage and gave us a very warm and welcoming introduction to the play ahead. With a venue that’s small and intimate, I really felt like she was speaking to me personally and not just to the audience as a whole. Which is a nice touch for those who want to attend the play alone like I did.
Overwhelmed with the number of babes on the beach, Freddy finds himself in conversation with three friends who want a boy-free day. However, their efforts are for naught after Freddy falls for Mabel, a free-spirited surfer girl who loves the beach and wants to protect it from those who would ruin it. Despite the protests of her friends, played by both Price and Dillon Giles, Mabel returns Freddy’s feelings.
Mabel was played by Annaliese Chambers, who did a brilliant job making her debut at the Great American Melodrama after returning to the states from touring around China. I loved watching her perform; every time she took to the stage she charmed me with her facial expressions, beautiful voice, and high enthusiasm.
While I could go on for hours about the wonderful aspects each actor brought to the show, the relationship between Mabel’s friends was amusing through the whole two-hour viewing.
But they weren’t the only ones. Freddy and Mabel gave a hilarious account of how fast teenagers tend to fall in love. Also, their voices blended perfectly, giving the already amusing couple a nice touch.
However, their 45-minute love affair nearly comes to an end when the Pirate King returns to Pismo Beach to remind Freddy that since he was born on Feb. 29, and leap year only comes every four years, he isn’t technically 21 and he must return to the pirate gang and go through his gang initiation.
That’s when we find out his initiation is to kiss a girl without asking permission and that the Pirate King hasn’t been through the initiation himself because the act is so devilish. Yet Mabel comes to Freddy’s aid and tells him although they have only been dating for an hour, he is allowed to kiss her.
With good beer, decent food that gets served to you by the friendly and truly excited to be there cast, and a small venue, I had a blast and so will those who go to watch the show.
Reach New Times Staff Writer Samantha Herrera, from the Sun’s sister paper, at [email protected].
