The Northern California Pirate Festival at Vallejo

Ahoy matey! Yes ye lilly livered landlubbers, it's that time of the year. Time to channel your inner Long John Silver at Vallejo waterfront's two-day Northern California Pirate Festival on June 19 and 20, 2010. Get the peg leg out of the closet, find the white flannel shirts, let your hair down and let's hear some ferocious Arrrrrrrs! Last year we went with my husband and two daughters and had a giant ball despite a) a scorching sun and restrooms that seemed like they were miles away, b) a real parking challenge that ended up with us crossing some forbidden residential properties.

As I announced the program of the day that morning - it's like this at our house, I dress up in minstrel attire, unroll the scroll and read the list really loud perched on a barrel - my husband's initial reaction was: "What, the same folks as the Renaissance Faire? Do we have to?"

Err, yes, we have to. Probably the same folks as the Renaisssance Faire and the Dickens Fair too. I mean, they have a ton of white open-collared shirts with ruffles in their drawers. They've got to make the best use of them right? So yes the same folks but get this. We get to see Capt'n Jack Spareribs perform and after I interviewed him for my blog, I was dying to see Johnny Depp's look-alike with irresistible juggling skills. And so we went.

Good news, the entrance is free. Let me repeat that. FREE -unlike the Renaissance Faire and the Dickens Fair and honestly, I don't know how they manage to keep it that way. All you are going to enjoy, the music, the performers, the puppets, the cannon-firing, the boat battles, that's all free. So make sure to put on your best smile and enjoy the show.

Right after we got in, the Schooner Aldebaran was getting ready to engage into a fierce ship-to-shore cannon battle so we rushed to the waterfront. Boom! went the cannons, and sure enough we were smoked in. The girls were enthused. We couldn't hear many of the hopefully salty exchanges but enjoyed it tremendously. However the metal handrail lining the waterfront seemed totally out of place. Despite the costumes and the theatricals, the scene was lacking a dirt waterfront and 18th century rundown houses. Sigh. I am signing a petition right now to build a marine waterfront appropriate for period pirate fights.

The many shops and grass alleys forming the pirate encampment had achieved a remarkable effort in looking as pirate-like as possible. It was actually great eye candy and we soaked it in. My favorite hangouts were places where the girls could play games and activities. By knocking down rats at the Cat-Apult vs. Pi-Rats, our 5-year-old won as wooden flute she still cherishes to this day.

We even met a little fella pulled by her mom, all comfortably sitting in the pirate ship on wheels his dad had built for him.

Hey dads, feeling inspired? This is a great craft activity if you have a lonely Radio Flyer wagon in the garage. Our girls certainly thought it would make an ideal weekend activity. However Papa a.k.a. Cedric had other plans. Cedric was already eying the list of performers.

"Capt'n Jack Spareribs is performing in half an hour, let's go to the main stage!" Yoohoo, finally I get to see the real thing on stage. We headed over and heard the last two songs of a rock pirate band. Wish I remembered their name.

Finally You-know-who arrives on stage. Thrills in the audience, as he had been voted best family fun entertainment by readers of the SF Chronicle just days before. Man, Ace Miles a.k.a. Capt'n Jack Spareribs sure can juggle. Look at that, with a mouth-piece too. And he's a ventriloquist.

If you're sitting in the audience, be ready for a few harmless tricks that may involve you, your partner and delicate balancing acts. Nobody was hurt and the audience loved it all. It was so worth driving all the way to the Vallejo waterfront, a place we never go to otherwise. Arrrrr, can't wait for this weekend. Aren't pirate festivals the ideal Father's Day outing?

Details: The Northern California Pirate Festival is located on the Vallejo Waterfront, only a few short steps west of the Vallejo Ferry Terminal (the Ferry Terminal Address is 289 Mare Island Way Vallejo California)

Directions: click here. Hey, you can get there by ferry and enjoy a scenic water ride too.

Peter Pan the Musical at The Berkeley Playhouse

Another reason to cross the bridge? A boy who can fly. An abusive pirate captain. A fearless Indian girl. A lost island in Neverland. A jealous and impertinent fairy. Soaring high above Victorian London. Sounds familiar?

Last weekend, Berkeley Playhouse opened their summer performance of Peter Pan The Musical to a full house. We saw it with our 4 and 6 year olds and loved it.

Performing arts are usually all-kids or all-grown-ups affairs and this rare combination of both children (as young as 7) and adults works wonders. For some in the audience, the high point came when the pirate crew performed a manly tango with gusto. For others, the moment of bliss came when Peter Pan recovered his shadow played by a dancer in black and the pair waltzed away with Wendy in the nursery. Or it could be when actors climb in and out of coconut trees to engage in fights.

Whatever your favorite part in Peter Pan, you've gotta love a musical that includes aerial acrobatics, sword fights, live music behind the stage, creative sets, skilled actors/singers/dancers and a heart-warming Nana dog-nurse.

When we got inside the theater, we were relieved to see there were pillows on the floor at stage level for children to sit on because it was so crowded that we had to sit up in the pews (where the views weren't bad, mind you, since it's a small theater). After an introduction by director Elizabeth McKoy, the orchestra played the themes and the show began.

At first, we couldn't see the full set as dark blue curtains cradling the nursery were hiding the island coconut trees, pirate ship and Lost Boys hideout. Forgetting all about Disney's green Peter Pan, we grew to appreciate Brandy Collazo's impersonation of the egocentric likable brave boy who wants to never grow up. Ms. Collazo is already a veteran of Broadway-type performances in the Bay Area and she carries the character well into songs and bravado.

As we leave the nursery with aerials of various forms, the stage opens up on Neverland. By then, we'd already enjoyed solo and duo dance acts but we were about to discover the full extent of Tom Segal's skills as the show's dance choreographer. The pirate dances are simply to die for - completely offbeat, highly energetic and humorous.

In the pirate crew, actually, Captain Hook (Gabriel Grilli) and Smee (Michael Laplante) form of the funniest male duos I've seen in a long time, followed closely by the two pirates who rock back and forth a giant blue wave in the grand battle finale with a mischievous look in their eyes.

The other character who really stands out, when you compare with Disney's version, is Tiger Lily played by Rebecca Pingree, a former Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Show (tells you how charming and lioness she can be). Never before had I realized how strong a female character Tiger Lily was - and a leader too. The rivalry that sets her against Wendy to gain Peter Pan's undivided attention is one of strong elements of tension in the musical, where Tinkerbell definitely takes the back seat (no, no scantily-clad blond bimbo playing Tink).

Of course, when Tink sacrifices her life by drinking the poisoned medicine, the audience joins in that fantastic clapping act to show that we all believe in fairies and that Tink shouldn't die. When I saw Peter Pan the musical at the Orpheum with Cathy Rigby in 2006, that same wondrous clapping moment brought tears to my eyes too. Seldom as an adult can you actually take pride in believing in fairies!

After Indians and Lost Boys finally join forces and set aside their past resentment, that's when the pirates strike and the final battle does not disappoint.

My 4-year-old told me with pride after the show that the crocodile had nodded to her during that battle, waiting to get to Hook. What a sweet child-loving crocodile...

Now for practical details, because you wouldn't want to miss that show, would you? Peter Pan the Musical will be performed every single weekend through August 23 and features both evening (7 pm) and matinee shows. Note that the show lasts 2h30, but both my girls' attention didn't falter throughout. So go ahead, get your tickets here. Don't go whining in September that you missed it in July. It's not like you haven't had advance notice.

Plus, by attending this performance, you are encouraging the Berkeley Playhouse, a great place that operates both as an arts conservatory and a professional theater. These guys really deserve a good audience for all the hard work done and the quality of the show. So as I said earlier, yet another reason to cross the bridge ... or stay on your side if you already knew everything about sun-zoning.

Capt'n Jack Spareribs: Where is the Barbecue Sauce!?

Someone's riding the Black Pearl wave pretty high since yesterday and he's the funniest pirate you've ever heard of: Capt'n Jack Spareribs a.k.a. Ace Miles just got nominated as the best in the Family Fun category of the San Francisco Chronicle's BayList 2009 contest.

Remember how Captain Jack Sparrow keeps muttering "Where's the rum gone?" Well, Capt'n Jack Spareribs will say: "Where is the barbecue sauce!?" Yes, Mr. Miles is not simply an impersonator of the sexiest man on earth. He's a spoof of many talents who can deliver jokes with a fierce smile. In France, he would be part saltimbanque, part stand-up comic.

He's a performer, an actor, a ventriloquist, a puppeteer, a juggler, a magician, and a self-described scallywag sort of fellow.

Want to see him perform this weekend? No problem. He'll be at Pier 39 (look for Ace Miles) this Friday at 6.15 and 7.30pm, and at Bay Street in Emeryville on Saturday between 11am and 4pm (on the grass circle area). Aaarrrrrrrr....

If you want to see him some more, he has his own stage at the Northern California Pirate Festival, a festival (third year in the running) that attracted 35,000 people in 2008. This year's edition takes place on Father's Day weekend in June in Vallejo. Then of course, he will perform for family or company events. Why sure, a few of the world's worst pirate jokes are sure to relax your clients.

I asked him his favorite joke over the phone. He goes: "Do you know how much a pirate pays to have his ears pierced?" Of course I don't so I keep silent. "A buck an ear!!!" (say it out loud). Now the kid version: "What was the new pirate movie rated?" Answer: "Aaarrrrrr....."

Yes, Capt'n Jack Spareribs is that sort of a rib-tickling guy. And why wouldn't he be? The more I read about pirate sightings and haunts in the Bay Area, the more I am amazed by how many there aaarrrr......

After all, I wrote last year about the San Francisco pirate spirit and it is pretty high. Is it the proximity to Hollywood?

Ironic for a part of the world that never saw even the shade of a single swashbuckling pirate for historical reasons. Hey, when the Yerba Buena fishermen's village boomed in 1848 and 1849, the Golden Age of piracy was over. If you look up your classics, you'll realize that it lasted from the mid 1600s to late 1700s. Take Edward Thatch ( c. 1680 – November 22, 1718, ) otherwise known as Blackbeard. He roamed the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic during the early 18th century. Way when North California was not even on the Spanish's map.

So San Francisco, the last pirate frontier? Believe it or not, it's easier to find eye-patched buccaneers than hat and cane walking Victorians in the City by the Bay. Honestly, the city should think about sponsoring a fake pirate fort on the Farallon Islands and charter boatloads of tourists at night in candlelit taverns once on shore. In the kid realm, what playground doesn't have its pirate ship? Isn't Talk Like a Pirate Day widely followed?

Mr. Miles strikes the right chord with the Bay Area audience. Long live Capt'n Jack Spareribs and his talking monkey. May he find his travelling companions before Whole Foods gets to them. Will Burger and Elizabeth Shank, that is. (Sorry, had to give it a beefy try.) Get out there and see Capt'n Jack Spareribs, you'll have a whale of a time.