Amber Gray and More Will Lead THE ROYAL PYRATE Workshop Tour

HADESTOWN’S Amber Gray is joining the cast of the new musical The Royal Pyrate in the role of Mary Hallet, the fabled ‘Witch of Wellfleet,’ a figure of American myth for over 300 years. Gray joins a cast, which also includes Eric William Morris (White Girl in Danger, King Kong, Mamma Mia) as the infamous pirate Black Sam Bellamy; Eddie Cooper (Parade, Dead Outlaw) as the dread pirate Blackbeard; and Lauren Molina (Sweeney Todd, Rock of Ages) as Paulsgrave Williams. The Royal Pyrate will have a  ‘workshop tour’ that will begin at the Almanack Arts Colony on Nantucket Island on August 20 and 21, before continuing on to New York City, where it will play at the Waterfront Barge Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn August 24 and 25. 

“Amber is one of my favorite performers in the world. Powerful and wistful in Hadestown, she brings a wit and charm to every role she inhabits. Jason and I have known her for over 10 years and are so excited to have her onboard The Royal Pyrate,” said Book writer Chas LiBretto. “We’ve been thinking about this story for a decade ourselves and are so thrilled this cast is joining us for what promises to be a thrilling and moving nautical adventure.”

“I loved the music 10 years ago and I’m so eager to revisit it,” said Amber Gray.

The Royal Pyrate is a new musical that reimagines the 300 year old love story of the pirate Black Sam Bellamy and Mary Hallet, a woman so ahead of her time she is accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. Based on the real history of the Golden Age of Piracy, the 100 minute musical features an original score and lyrics by Jason Landon Marcus and a book by Chas LiBretto. The pair last collaborated on the Pulitzer-nominated Cyclops: A Rock Opera (“a thrilling freak show” – Charles McNulty, LA Times), which had a sold-out run at The Tank last fall. They began their work together on The Royal Pyrate as members of Ars Nova’s musical theater writing lab Uncharted. Hunter Bird (Bronco Billy) will direct. 

With a fusion of sea shanty, roots rock, and pirate music, the score to The Royal Pyrate will be performed by Merman, an aquadellic surf band from Westchester County. 

Listen to two songs from the show below!