I play Benjamin, the Blue Pirate, who is the adopted son of the evil Captain Sebastian the Black, and his beautiful, but just as cantankerous wife, Treasure.  Five other pirates inhabit the ship:  Andre' Baptiste, the Orange clad French Pirate from Old Orleans; Saxon the Purple Pirate from the area of the River Rhine; Antonio the Yellow Pirate, who is the Italian swordsman aboard the ship; Jack the Red Pirate, the evil cutthroat from Britain; and Jose' the Green Pirate, the rigger and aerialist from Spain.  Additionally, Mr. Magee, the captain's valet, and the comic relief of the show, tells of the dread "Davie Jones" the pirate ghost of the seven seas!

The pirates attack a small village which is celebrating a visit from the Princess Anita, daughter of the King, who is spreading the word of royal concern and good will among the subjects.  The attack is successful, and the Princess and a beautiful, mute, gypsy girl are taken, along with the gold, back to the ship for the pending arrival of Capt. Sebastian.  This all happens in a "pre-show" atmosphere.

During the musical show opener, each pirate "tells" his brief story, as does Treasure, and then the show begins, with Benjamin definitely showing his preference to the hand of the lovely Anita, who is demanding to be released.  She sings her faith in a hero who will save her in the "Nick of Time" in a beautiful solo where Ben is featured as being this future hero.

At the beginning of the show, the entire crew think of Benjamin as being the "kid" of the ship, and don't respect his abilities.  During the show, with several musical numbers and songs with various types of acts, portraying the ensuing competitions that inevitably take place among this high-testosterone level crew, Ben shows that he can hold his own.  

Saxon has a thought, which the others find amazing, and points out that the audience, who have been shanghaied as new crew members, could tell the king and his soldiers about their whereabouts, so the Captain orders that they all be shot.  Magee stops this action, by pointing out that they don't have enough musket balls do kill them all, and suggests that they be sworn in.  Treasure agrees that this would be preferable, and a "slap in the face to the King," so several kids from the audience are brought up on the ship by the pirates and sworn in with a humorous and "say what I say" scene by the Captain, who is reading out of the Book of the Pyrate King.  

As they are being saluted as new Pirates, and being re-seated by the crew, Anita releases her angst against the captain and the swearing in of innocent children, and ends her tirade by calling him a "big whale."  This infuriates Capt. Sebastian, and he immediately orders her death, but Benjamin steps up and he evokes the "Pirate's Law of the Sea" which states, as read by Mr. Magee out of the Book of the Pyrate King, "Any Pyrate who wishes to save a captive maiden may do so by asking her hand in... MARRIAGE!"  

Ben claims her hand, but so do the other pirates, and so a "tough man" contest ensues, "Mano Y Mano" - hand to hand, amongst them to decide who actually gets Anita's hand.  Since he is the biggest and the strongest, Andre' bests all the pirates, but Benjamin, who has been wisely standing by, waiting for the perfect time to step into the battle.  Andre' laughs in his face, when Ben's turn to fight arrives, and he quickly overpowers the lad in several strength moves, toying with the boy.  However, Ben has grown into more than a boy, and is a master strategist, so he turns the tables, and uses Andre's strength against him, to win the match, and the hand of the lovely lady.  At this, Ben sings his love in a solo set to the music of "Bella Noche", while Jose', who has fallen in love with the Gypsy girl, performs with the gypsy in a high cradle act about 22 feet above the stage (it's a "Cirque du Soliel" type act).  The Princess is wooed by the song, and they sing the last chorus together as a duet, finally embracing as they finish.

The pirates are jealous, however, so trouble immediately erupts, so the Capt. breaks the Law of the Pyrate King and says the troublesome women will be killed immediately.  Ben again stands up for Anita and the Gypsy, the first time he's ever stood against his father, and Jose' and the mighty Andre' agree with him, since he's won the fair fight.  This infuriates the Captain, and so another battle erupts, Red, Yellow, and Purple against Green, Blue, and Orange, and Ben and his compatriots are driven from the ship.

The Capt. and his wife Treasure sing of their lament on how their son could possibly turn out "good" after all the evil ways they taught him, and then they decide to finally do away with the Princess and the Gypsy, and to sail out of the secret harbor where they're anchored before Ben can alert the King's soldiers and return.

As they say their last taunts to Anita and the Gypsy, Ben returns, along with Andre' and Jose', and they surprise the other pirates and defeat them.  The Captain, however, isn't so easily surprised, and he soon has Benjamin in the line of fire of his musket pistol.  All the fighting stops, and the Captain decides he wants Ben to die slowly for betraying him, so he orders Antonio to duel with Ben in a rapier fight to the death.  The duel begins, Antonio "toying" with Ben, as a master against a novice.  However, Ben has been training for quite some time, and the two are soon shown to have an equal ability with the blade.  Actually, they aren't equals, and Ben defeats the Italian swordsman, but leaves him alive, knocking him unconscious.  

Captain Sebastian, not concerned with rules or honor at this point, launches a surprise attack at Benjamin, and a full-fledged battle ensues between all the pirates:  Orange vs. Purple, Green vs. Red, Gypsy vs. Magee, Anita vs. Treasure, and the Captain vs. Ben.  The captain apparently gets the best of Ben, and it looks very bleak, but Ben pulls a final card out of his sleeve, and he gives the signal that brings the King's soldiers (the children from the audience dressed in soldier coats and hats) into the fray!  This is a move that Sebastian didn't expect, and he is taken off guard, and Ben and his men take advantage of this.  Finally, when the last blow is thrown, Ben and his compatriots are victorious, he is hailed as the new "Pyrate King," and he orders Andre' to put the Captain and his wife adrift in a dingy.  A musical number ends the show, and a good time is had by all!

Hope this helps, Paddy, and that it's as fun and easy to follow as it was to perform!

Sincerely,
Dave