Evaluate: Pansexual Pregnant Piracy, Soho Theatre

Evaluate: Pansexual Pregnant Piracy, Soho Theatre

Feminine pirates, Anne Bonny (Ro Suppa) and Mary Learn (Elizabeth Chu), have been non-conformists– rebels who rejected the straight-and-narrow lifetime of respectable 18^th-century ladies, preferring intercourse, rum, journey, and the camaraderie of the seas. With ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham (Eleanor Colville), the third leg of their maritime threesome, they sailed the oceans through the Golden Age of Piracy. Iconoclastic as they have been, I’m wondering if they’d be appalled that their lives have been appropriated for this raucous musical comedy, or, flattered to be immortalized as free-spirited free-lovers; Anne is the prototypical pansexual, equally turned on by Calico Jack’s succesful captaincy and Mary’s femininity, repulsed by her personal breasts and the prospect of being pregnant, however cautious of enjoying something aside from herself. 

The present opens with the primary of a number of very jaunty expositional songs. The tunes are catchy, the lyrics witty, the solid of 4 harmonise superbly, and there’s loads of vigorous choreography. We’re then launched to the embodiment of the patriarchy: Anne’s humourless, oppressive, and never fully traditionally correct husband, Charles. One other character, who presumably wasn’t recognized to the true Anne Bonny, is Ivana Cracker: a drag queen on land however at sea, like so many others, hiding their true identification, and masquerading because the ship’s parrot. Like true pirates, Airlock Theatre take a number of liberties with the story they’ve plundered, however Robbie Taylor Hunt, in Ivana’s feathered mini-dress, is fabulous because the prima donna manqué, and equally sensible as the remainder of the ship’s crew and the kraken. 

The story itself is instructed in a really amusing method, with parts of farce, comedian violence, artistic puppetry and loads of good old style camp. However a few of the greatest laughs come from bonus gags. The Navy recruitment marketing campaign advert voiceovers outline their target market by outlining a collection of toxically masculine traits. The story of a demise by shark is brilliantly absurd whereas a rambling collection of similes lastly delivers an unexpectedly humorous punchline. 

Set and costume designer, Caitlin Mawhinney, has understood the task. On board the ship, the whole lot is customary “pirate,” albeit with one hideous and anatomically incorrect nude go well with. Overboard, the place the waves roll artistically, the whole lot is much more trippy, and the comedy of a smoking dolphin doula is simply elevated by the tokenism of its costume.  

On the finish of this unlikely story, made much more unlikely by Airlock Theatre’s exuberant telling, we’re left with a easy message: so long as you’re not an agent of the patriarchy, simply be who you wish to be. Be lesbian, be pansexual, be a landlubber, be a seafarer, it’s all good. So, on this spirit of acceptance and honesty, I really feel emboldened to say that I discovered the present’s graphic intercourse chat and encyclopedic genital slang somewhat an excessive amount of. However in case there’s any threat of being made to stroll the plank for my prudishness, I must also say that the creative comedy, fabulous costumes, nice performances and great music nonetheless made for a really entertaining, and surprisingly thought-provoking night.   

Creators: Eleanor Colville, Ro Suppa, Robbie Taylor Hunt

Director: Robbie Taylor Hunt

Orchestrators and Musical Administrators: Erin Rydal, Simon McKenzie

Combat Director: Enric Ortuño

Choreographer: Sara Inexperienced

Set and costume designer: Caitlin Mawhinney

Lighting Designer: Catja Hamilton

Sound Designer: Anna Quick

Pansexual Pregnant Piracy performs at Soho Theatre till thirteenth April.

Additional data and reserving could be discovered right here.

Efficiency BSL Interpreted by Pettra St Hilaire: Fri 12 Apr, 7pm