REVIEW: 500 DOUBLOONS

Age Suitability: Parental Guidance (ages 13+)

Genre: Theatre—Comedy, Sketch Comedy/Improv

Run Time: 50 mins

Venue: The Westdale

In this clever comedy from Friendly Bear Theatre, this story asks: when history gives us no details, what legends do we choose to invent?

The play introduces a group of young adults who work on a tourist pirate ship which experiences an unexpected incident, leaving them soaking wet. As they wait for further instructions from their boss in the break room, the trope delves into several theories surrounding a real-life story of a pirate who paid a large sum of money (which translates to almost $400,000 in today’s Canadian currency) for a woman's clothing to be removed. Each theory is cheeky, outrageous fun with some playful spoofs on various genres from western to spy thriller.

The entire cast (Silvert Das, Giselle Magie, Jillian Robinson, Brett Seivwright and Katherine Teed-Arthur) are dynamic, fearless and endearing, equipped with a script (written by Teed-Arthur) that is refreshingly original, full of well-crafted word play, with increasingly ridiculous characters. Director Max Cameron Fearon has paid great attention to ensure their cast is consistently utilizing their imaginations from yielding every day items for weaponry to stunts to quick costume enhancements and set transitions for each scenario that unfolds. There’s even some audience participation, even though one might question the necessity of it within the show as a whole.

500 Doubloons is a fun, inventive romp for anyone who likes pirate legends, sharp storytelling, genre spoofs and titillating ensemble adventures. Don’t miss it!