Review :: 'Blackbeard' at the Signature
When in the new musical "Blackbeard," the titular character (Chris Hoch) belts out his first song, his strong vocals and firm grasp of the pirate accent let you know you're in for an authentic, swashbuckling good time. What follows is a classic action adventure story: Blackbeard and his crew want to raise an army of the undead, and they know just who to go to. Dominique (Nova Y. Payton), one of Blackbeard's old flames, is said to have magical powers strong enough to help them get what they need. So they pay her a visit, and are given the price for their desire; three priceless gems held by gods from around the world. With that setup, and a promise to do things "the impossible way," the crew is off on their globetrotting adventure. Here we go!
Along the way, a few strong points stood out. First, the set design made perfect use of the small theater space designer Paul Tate Depoo III had to work with. The long stage is decorated with shoddy looking wood to mimic the feel of an old ship's deck. There's, of course, a balcony hanging with fishing nets and other pirate-like things, allowing the captain a better view over his crew. The literal and figurative centerpiece, however, is the spinning circle at the heart of the stage. Reminiscent of the famous "Les Miserables" set, it allowed for incredible versatility and transformation for other scenes not set aboard the ship. The technical features were also impressive, with innovative electric fires and one-man rigs listed as "Zombie Pirate Puppets" which perhaps can't be explained in a way that makes them sound as cool as they looked.
Another strength of this show was the costuming, done by Erik Teague. The pirate outfits seemed authentic, especially Blackbeard's captain's coat. The costuming of the three gods Odinn (Bobby Smith), Kamikaze (Christopher Mueller) and Kali Maa (Awa Sal Secka) were all colorful and fun. The design of Kamikaze, the Japanese god of the wind, was interestingly figurative, as his flowing white trails represented the power of wind he controlled, and also just made him look cool.
The live music added to the mood as well, with little touches like classical guitar flourishes by Jim Roberts signifying the pomp and circumstance of the English naval officers. The original music by Dana P. Rowe was suspenseful and dramatic in all the right ways and mixed modern instrumentals with the old-fashioned mood of the production. Combined with John Dempsey's lyrics, the score was an emotional ride full of humor, action and even some somber moments.
Some bits of genuine humor were present too, mostly in the interactions between Roger (Rory Boyd) and the whimsical Old Man (Lawrence Redmond) who the crew keeps mysteriously running into. Without stealing his punch lines, all I can say is he made me laugh. Additionally, the depiction of Odinn and the Norse gods was reminiscent of the humorously hedonistic depiction of them in "Thor: Ragnarok." Watching drunken, bored gods galavant and sing is always entertaining, and this play offers plenty of it.
The only part that wasn't a slam dunk was the fight choreography provided by Casey Kaleba. It wasn't the most realistic but was still rhythmic and fun. Some of the fights were nicely synchronized with the music and provided good, albeit slow action beats. The fight with Kamikaze using his wind powers was a clear highlight. Eric Schaeffer's strong direction otherwise kept the production going at a good clip, with nary a dull moment. The show ran about an hour and a half with no intermission and felt not dissimilar to a movie in its pacing.
The singers all knocked it out of the park, with Nova Y. Payton's Dominique and Awa Sal Secka's Kali Maa delivering high-octane, high-energy performances that stood above the rest. Chris Hoch and Kevin McAllister as Blackbeard and first mate Caesar were also excellent and authentic. Caesar's "To Be a Pirate" was a standout number, both for the performance by McAllister and for its ability to advance the story of the pirate crew. Blackbeard's "Into Legend We Sail" and Roger's reprise in "Finale" gave me chills, and that's not something I can say about many musicals.
"Blackbeard" had strong performances all around, an interesting story, amazing set design, great direction by Eric Schaeffer and a valuable moral theme of forgetting the treasure and treasuring the adventure which is echoed throughout the production. I left happy, and I think you will too.
"Blackbeard" at the Tony-winning Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA plays for 4 weeks, running June 18 through July 14, 2019. For more information, visit www.SigTheatre.org.