For those who can’t get to a boat this hot summer weekend, Phantom Theater will bring the boat in the all-ages comedy “Blow Me Down! The Daring Exploits of Spanish John” this Friday and Saturday nights, August 2 and 3.
The bi-coastal cast includes veteran Phantom performers David Sinaiko and Jeanne Darst who made the voyage from California to play Spanish John and Captain Plum. Ben Schneider, Grier Montgomery, Tammi Cubilette, and Henry and Liz Tenney ventured up from New York City for the show, and Vermont’s own Tracy Martin and Rob Donaldson join in the fun as well. Phantom fans will recognize many of the actors from some of Phantom’s most popular productions in recent years – “Jaws,” “Alien,” and “Succession.”
LA musicians Peter Hastings and Hudson Allen along with NYC’s Oliver Schneider anchor the crew in a live performance of the show’s soundtrack.
The play recounts the escapades of Spanish John, captain of The Merry Widow, a fictional buccaneer active in the Atlantic during the last days of the golden age of piracy. He and his mates are torn between accepting the Royal Navy’s offer of amnesty if they cease all acts of piracy, or continuing along their plundering path to an almost certain doom.
Playwright St. John Frizzel, a close friend and business partner of Schneider and his wife Sohui Kim, conceived “Blow Me Down,” with the intention of creating theater for their Brooklyn community. Melodrama, pirates, slapstick and music ensued.
The show’s first iteration ran at Brooklyn’s Coffee St. Theater, otherwise known as the Schneiders’ backyard. In true Phantom fashion, the producers were able to squeeze roughly 100 and neighbors into a limited space. It was an immediate hit, and now they bring their production to Phantom.
The show runs just over an hour with no intermission. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday, August 2, and two performances at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 3. Tickets are available online and at the door. For more information visit www.phantomtheater.org
