Bonny & Read is the tale of the two infamous female pirates, Mary Bonny and Anne Read. The show explains the reasons for their decision to become pirates and the audience are taken with them on their journey through the Caribbean on the 17th Century.
The two cast members play all the roles, including parents, judges, lawyers, pirates, governers and the title characters by using a minimal amount of costuming and a lot of talent. The three band members also occasionally lend a hand as shipmates, as well as playing the music and backing our leads when they are singing their sea shanties.
This is an excellent production with our leads playing their parts with passion and verve, taking the audience on a journey across the years and the ocean. We are given an insight into what it was like for a woman living in a strongly patriarchal society and how some of the women made their break for self-freedom. The music and dances lend an air of authenticity to the proceedings and I was delighted to see that there were no pop-culture references or snide in-jokes to break the mood during the show.
If you’re young and feeling rebellious or wish to remember what it was like to have passionate dreams of freedom and a life on the ocean waves, then this is the perfect show to go to. Anne and Mary give their all in their performance and this was a truly magical journey (with an ending that would have promised a sequel if it was Hollywood). Also I recommend bringing a little extra money as you can buy a CD of the music after the show.
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