International Talk Like a Pirate Day was established in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers before taking off and becoming an annually celebrated holiday.
In honor of the holiday flip through the pirate-themed shows that have come to Broadway below:
The Pirates of Penzance
The Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance got the Broadway treatment when a musical adaptation opened on Broadway in 1981, starring Kevin Kline and Rex Smith.
Kevin Kline would go on to win the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical that year for his portrayal of The Pirate King.
His wasn’t the first foray into the world of pirates for George Rose, pictured here in The Pirates of Penzance. He also played Captain Hook in the 1979 production of Peter Pan.
Rex Smith, Kevin Kline, and cast in The Pirates of Penzance
Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, and Rex Smith
Rex Smith, Linda Ronstadt, and Kevin Kline
The Pirate Queen
2019 Tony winner for Best Actress in a Musical Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show) starred in The Pirate Queen, which opened in 2007 at Hilton Theatre. The musical follows the story of 16th-century pirate Grace O’Malley, who was one of the last Irish clan leaders to resist the English conquest of Gaelic Ireland. Hadley Fraser played Tiernan, O'Malley’s childhood sweetheart.
Joan Marcus
Despite her feelings for Tiernan, Grace agrees to marry rival clansman Donal O’Flaherty, played by Marcus Chait, at the urging of her father Dubhdara, played by Jeff McCarthy, in an uneasy alliance to protect Ireland against an English invasion by Queen Elizabeth I.
Stephanie J. Block and Marcus Chait in The Pirate Queen
Stephanie J. Block and cast in The Pirate Queen
Cast in The Pirate Queen
Drama Desk Nominee Linda Balgord as Queen Elizabeth I in The Pirate Queen
Peter and the Starcatcher
Peter and the Starcatcher earned nine Tony Award nominations, winning five. The prequel to Peter Pan tells the story of how the characters from Neverland came to be, including the pirate Black Stache, who eventually turns into Captain Hook. The show opened on Broadway in 2012, starring Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly (eventual mother to Wendy, John, and Michael), Adam Chanler-Berat as The Boy (Peter Pan), and Christian Borle as Black Stache.
O&M Co.
Christian Borle won the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor as the audacious captain of the Jolly Roger, Black Stache.
Kevin Del Aguila played Black Stache’s first mate Smee.
O&M Co.
Christian Borle in Peter and the Starcatcher
Peter Pan
Sandy Duncan and George Rose
George Rose and Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan
George Rose and cast in Peter Pan
George Rose and cast in Peter Pan
Finding Neverland Playbill - Opening Night
Continuing the trend of bringing audiences to Neverland were Matthew Morrison as J.M. Barrie and Kelsey Grammer as Captain Hook in Finding Neverland.
Carol Rosegg
Matthew Morrison and Kelsey Grammer in Finding Neverland
Carol Rosegg
Jay Armstrong Johnson and Hunter Foster
Larry Pry/The Muny
Hunter Foster and the cast of Pirates!
Hunter Foster, Kathy Fitzgerald and the cast of Pirates!
Jon Rua, Hunter Foster, Jay Armstrong Johnson and the cast of Pirates!
Cats Playbill - June 2000
Tony nominee Stephen Hanan portrayed the pirate cat Growltiger in the original Broadway production of Cats, in addition to several other characters like Gus the Theatre Cat.
In “Growltiger’s Last Stand,” Gus remembers one of his greatest roles—the so-called pirate who dies valiantly after a meeting of the swords.
SpongeBob SquarePants Playbill - Opening Night
The Skivvies’ Jason Michael Snow (right) opened the second act of SpongeBob SquarePants as Patchy when it made its pre-Broadway debut in Chicago. On the original cast recording, Snow sings “Poor Pirates,” written by Sara Bareilles, with Curtis Holbrook (left) and others.
Jon Rua took over the role of Patchy when SpongeBob SquarePants opened on Broadway at Palace Theatre.
Marc J. Franklin
