What do you get when you mix a group of pirates, a carefree surfer, a mermaid and a talking Octopus? Why Rainbow Puppet Productions “A Pirate Party,” of course! The show is a happy salute to beach movies of the 1960’s and will be held in the Indoor Theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park August 5, 6, 7 at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased in advance at ticket sales at Roanoke Island Festival Park or the day of the event. Ages 5 and under are free. This production is sponsored, in part, by Friends of Elizabeth II. Visit roanokeisland.com for more information.
The show premiered at the Blackbeard Pirate Festival and then was featured at "Pirates Pack the Park," one of the largest gatherings of pirates the world has ever seen.
A Pirate Party” features vocal performances from the late Movie legend Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan. This is not the first time Mickey and Jan have worked with Rainbow Puppets. They starred in the company’s 100th Anniversary Production of “Toyland!” According to show creator David Messick, “I called Mickey and his wife the day ‘Museum’ opened to tell them how much we enjoyed it. We then discussed future projects and they agreed to participate. We recorded their part for ‘A Pirate Party’ and for two more projects that will come out in the future. Mickey plays Captain Mick and joyously pokes fun at his image as a multi-award winning legend. His wife Jan plays Polly the Parrott who even more joyously eggs Mickey on”.
As a very special surprise treat, Broadway legend Carol Channing crashes the party by providing the voice to a bejeweled Octopus! Along the way, she plugs her own upcoming Rainbow show "The Broadway Adventures of Chessie the Manatee."
Settings are created by Rainbow Puppeteer Kathie Davis. The highlight is a four-foot high talking Blackbeard head that tells the story of one of history’s most infamous pirates. Puppets are by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Jill Harrington and the Prince Puppets. She has created a surfer and mermaid puppet that will swim into the audience as part of the performance. The be-jeweled octopus puppet is by Hampton Master Puppet Maker Laura Huff. Costumes are by Regina Smith.
The score by David Messick includes new song “A Pirate Party” and several “lost” songs from his 30 years of writing children’s musicals. There’s “The Pirate Song” that features a Victor Herbert melody that’s over 100 years old with all- new lyrics. The song was intended for “Toyland” but was not included in the final performance. There are two beach songs from a 1985 project he co-wrote with Larry Barker. For more information, go to www.rainbowpuppets.com.