He smells bad. He looks good!
This rollicking musical tells the tale of Backbeard, the hairiest pirate who ever lived, and his quest to answer the question “How should a pirate look?” When a rowdy birthday party ruins his clothes, a pair of persuasive tailors convince him to try a vibrant new outfit of patterned trousers, a colorful coat, and a pig. Now the fearsome pirate must face his greatest challenges: winning the acceptance of the Pirate Council, the townspeople, and even his own crew, in a high-spirited story of courage, acceptance, and standing up for who you are.
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes
*This show has no intermission

The 2017 New York Musical Festival, which runs July 10 through August 6, will bring audiences four full weeks of new musicals, concerts, readings, and panel discussions. We spoke with Michael Musial (music/lyrics) who wrote Backbeard: The Musical with Matthew McElligott (book/lyrics), Larry Tuxbury (book/lyrics), and Brian Sheldon (book). Tell us about your show! It’s a bright and accessible tale of self-acceptance and remaining true to who you are. Backbeard has vibrant source material, a children’s series written and illustrated by Matt, and it has lent itself nicely to being musicalized. We were trying to write a show for families, a smart, funny, and engaging piece of theatre for all ages. What was the first musical that made you want to make musicals? HMS Pinafore. I was the music director when I was a junior in high school. I was inspired by the blending of text, music, and lyric to tell a story and further, was moved by the engagement of a community to make something like that happen. Describe the sound of your musical, it’s like _______ meets _________ It would be limiting to try to fit Backbeard into any sound category. I think what’s fun about Backbeard is that it exists …Read more