If you witnessed The Pirates of the North Saskatchewan in 2005, you know why it was one of the best shows in Jubilations history. Well, Jack is back, with a new band of scallywags to sail the mighty North Saskatchewan, search for treasure, and battle some beaver.
Murray Farnell returns to the role of Captain Jack - he absolutely captures the mannerisms that Johnny Depp made famous in the films. Matt Andre more than lives up to capturing the pirate-ness of Jack’s dad Keith, while the stunning Nicola Devine, whose voice will send chills down your spine, plays Jack’s mother Mary. We asked Farnell’s thoughts on having a hot Mom.
“Wow. Dad must really have it going on!” Farnell stated when he and Devine chatted with GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine prior to a performance. Farnell returns to Jubilations after a stint as a medi-vac co-pilot. “I got the offer to come back and do this show. I was in the mood that I wanted to get back into performing and step back into this world. I couldn’t think of any better way to do that than to play one of my favorite characters. It was a very good decision I think.”
For Devine, the chance to rock out appealed to her. Songs like Heart’s Crazy On You and Barricuda strike her rocker girl chord.
“I’ve done a lot of 50’s shows so when I saw the song list for this one, it was awesome - it is my type of music. The people in this cast are wonderful people and performers, so getting the chance to work with them is great. You get to run around and be scallywags. That is what drew me to it.”
The cast is rounded out by three more incredible female voices in Ariel Gerard as Elizabeth, Aimee Beaudoin as Elsie, and Cherise Kotelniski as with Queen Moosette. Christoff Lundgren adds a highly comedic element in his portrayal of Benji. It isn’t all laughter and song in this show however. I admit I was caught off guard by a moment in the show that had tears brimming in my eyes. Real poignant emotion isn’t exactly a Jubilations trademark.
“So often these shows are just ‘wacka wacka’. Jubilations performers are highly underestimated because they don’t get challenged that way. I think it is a wonderful thing to have because it not only gives the audiences something else to take away, but the performers [are given] something else that they can work with. In order sell it and make it real you have to tune in to what you are doing,” said Devine. Farnell agreed. “I like the way (writer) Cory Wojcik does things. He does put in things you won’t see in any other show. People look at it and go ‘Whoah, we have never done that.’ To have that in there is very refreshing. The people that come are going to be pleasantly surprised by it because they don’t get a lot of drama. They come here for singing, dancing and jokes, but we have some emotional depth to it which adds a lot to the show. I really enjoy that aspect of it.”
The energy in the room is a great deal of fun as well, as guests are served by an assortment of pirate characters, ranging from Peter Pan and Smee, to a parrot, and of course many wenches.
“The additional cast have really taken the ball and run with it. Everyone has seen the movies and knows the characters. So being able to dive into it, I was surprised that people in other cities haven’t done it as much here. The energy on this floor is truly fantastic. I knew I was going to enjoy this city.”
If you have never been to Jubilations before, this is the show to experience it. We asked the pair why you should come see it.
“For Murray’s hot Mom,” Devine said. “And for Nicola’s hot son,” Farnell added, before explaining that even if you haven’t seen the first one, you will enjoy the sequel.
“There are little jokes that if they remember the first one they will get it. If you didn’t see the first one, it is an entirely new storyline and roster of characters, so they didn’t need to see the first one in order to understand this one. It has those elements that bring people in to pirate shows – sword fighting, double crossing, arby darby, fog, thunderclaps, magic, dark ominous lighting.”
“It is a good evening out. It is a good story, all of the performances are fantastic, there is not a weak singer, dancer or actor in the bunch,” added Devine. “The energy that the ad-cast brings to it, out of all of the shows I have done, this one feels the most cohesive. Everyone who works here does their best to set up their own little facet of that world. As the show is actually going on people stop thinking about their life and just get lost in it for a few hours. I love going to see shows like that.”
