‘Backbeard’ returns to home port at Russell Sage College
TROY, N.Y. » The saying “it takes a village” certainly pertains to the musical “Backbeard the Musical.” And in the case of this youth oriented show, the village is Russell Sage College in Troy.
The work - after a triumphant engagement in New York City last summer - returns to its place of birth next week with a two-week long run at the school’s Schacht Fine Arts Center.
“Backbeard the Musical” tells about how “the hairiest pirate to ever live” decided to change his image. On his birthday he decides to get rid of his dingy, smelly clothes and dress in bright, colorful attire. He not only ignores all codes of fashion by mixing stripes, plaids and checks, he also alienates those in the pirate trade.
His gaudy dress is seen almost as an act of rebellion within the pirate community. Even the townspeople no longer fear a dandy pirate. Backbeard’s task is to win back his fierce reputation as a feared pirate.
How the show came about is a case of pure serendipity. Brian Sheldon, who has co-writing credit for show, recalls that it all started about 5 years ago.
Sheldon was a recent Sage graduate who attended the school as a member of the Male Actors Apprenticeship Program. He entered school at age 25. Because he was a little older than the average student his maturity helped him stand out to the faculty.
One important mentor was Michael Musial, an Associate Professor in the Drama/English department who was a founding member of the Theatre Institute at Sage.
Musial was interested in creating an original musical for the company to help introduce younger audiences to theater. He invited Sheldon to collaborate with him and bring a sense of stagecraft to the process of selecting and adapting a show.
“I remember Michael asking me about a theme. I immediately answered ‘pirates.’ Everyone loves pirates.”
After they agreed on the subject, there came a moment of remarkable coincidence. “As I left the meet- ing I walked downtown Troy past the Market Bookstore,” he recalls. “In the window were two ‘ Backbeard’ books. I went in and gave them a quick read. They were so much fun I knew they would make a great musical. I loved them, bought them on the spot and rushed back to Michael. I handed them to him and said, ‘I found your story.’”
What was a single coincidence turned into what could be called “divine intervention.”
It turns out that the author of the two Backbeard books was Matthew McElligott, who happens to teach and chair the department of Art + Design at the Albany campus of Sage.
The three men worked together for almost a year combining the two books, “Backbeard and the Birthday Suit” and “Backbeard: Pirate for Hire” into a single story. Meanwhile Musial was busy writing what Sheldon estimates is 12 or 14 songs. “I’ve worked with Michael on a lot of musicals and I am in awe of how good the songs are, he says.
To further his own career, after a year of work- ing on the material Sheldon moved to New York City, which, coupled with family issues, limited his participation in the project.
McElligott turned to his frequent children’s book collaborator, Larry Tuxbury, for help to complete the work. Sheldon says Tuxberry, who teaches art at Guilderland High School, really helped solve a lot of problems. “He fit like a glove,” says Sheldon.
Now ready, “Backbeard” was produced by TiS in 2016. Everyone — creators and audiences alike — knew something special was happening on stage. As Sheldon says “What’s not to like? It’s about lovable pirates,” he laughes.
Getting more serious, he says, “This is a really good show. The music is infectious. The kids love the happy, friendly story and adults appreciate the subtle grown up humor that we’ve included. ”
The New York City critics agreed. Last summer the show was accepted to be part of the juried New York Musical Festival. It was met with great reviews and enthusiastic audiences.
Though there has been only slight interest in the show by producers, Sheldon is confident that more production will happen soon. “It’s too good not to have a life outside of the Sage campus,” he says.
Indeed, if serendipity continues Sheldon might have a hand in the future travels of “Backbeard”.
He recently accepted the position of Managing Director of the Sand Lake Center for the Arts in Averill Park.
It is reasonable to suspect the prospect of a hairy pirate dressed in gaudy clothes might find his way to their stage before too long.
Until that time “Backbeard the Musical” will stay in the village in which it was created - the campus of Russell Sage College in Troy.