Uncle Pirate

Uncle Pirate

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Photograph by Steven Rosen

Vital Children's Theatre's Pinkalicious the Musical attracts hundreds of pink-clad preschool girls every weekend to the Bleecker Street Theatrer. The troupe's new show, Uncle Pirate, seems to be an attempt to repeat that book-to-the-boards success with boys. Of course, Douglas Rees's delightfully quirky tale, about a wimpy fourth-grader who finds friends and self-assurance when his seafaring kin comes to call, isn't as big a brand name as Pinkalicious. But the good news is that Uncle Pirate is more palatable to viewers of all ages than its rosy-hued predecessor. There's a talking penguin and plenty of "arrrs!" for the young'uns, while elementary schoolers and their parents will appreciate Ben H. Winters's sarcastic dialogue, Drew Fornarola's clever songs and the solid performances of the six-person cast.

Except for the climax, the story hews close to the book: Wilson (Steve Trzaska) is his school's punching bag until his long-lost Uncle Pirate (Joshua Nicholson, who thankfully doesn't go the Johnny Depp route with his characterization) and his chatty penguin Captain Jack (the wonderful Amanda Yachechak) begin living with the family. The victim of a mutiny, Uncle Pirate decides to find a new, landlocked vocation and starts unofficially teaching at his "nevvy's" out-of-control school, charming both the kids and the clerical workers (his romance with secretary Ms. Quern, played by Lauren Kampf, is quite comical). But will evil Principal Purvis (Ronn Burton), who turns out to be an old enemy, force Uncle Pirate and his new mateys to walk the plank?

Although there's no audience interaction, little ones should remain engaged by the one-hour show, which is full of singing and dancing, even if they can't quite follow the plot or understand all the clichés the authors send up. Afterward, children will definitely want to parley with that talking bird (Yachechak is kind enough to keep both her costume and her high-pitched penguin voice on during the post-show meet and greet) and perhaps buy the chapter book, which is for sale. As inexpensive kids theater goes, Uncle Pirate is rich, if not quite the gold standard. Whether it will become a source of booty like Pinkalicious remains to be seen.—Raven Snook

Uncle Pirate is playing at the Vital Children's Theatre through Feb 28. Tickets: $25.

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