Pirates get in the Christmas mix in ‘Jingle Arrgh the Way’

What happens when you mix pirates with Christmas? In Columbia, you end up with “Jingle Arrgh the Way,” a Christmas Pirate Adventure, which continues its run at the Columbia Children’s Theatre on Friday.

The show runs through the weekend with showtimes at 8 p.m. Friday (adults only), Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 2 and 7p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m.

Adapted from a short story written by Spartanburg native Melinda Long as a follow up to her blockbuster children’s book “How I Became A Pirate,” this holiday musical finds Captain Braidbeard and his crew back at North Beach enlisting the help of their youngest recruit, Jeremy Jacob. Someone has left a cryptic message in the crow’s nest of the ship that reads “If it’s a treasure you will know, seek the land of Christmas snow,” and Jeremy must help them decode it.

Setting the compass for north, the crew soon finds themselves at the North Pole with Santa himself, who teaches the rowdy pirates the true meaning of Christmas, which, in this case (spoiler alert!) is the gift of the spirit of giving.

“It’s really the sweetest mixture of pirate shanty and Christmas music you could hope for,” says CCT artistic director Jerry Stevenson. “The familiar holiday melodies mixed with jigs and rowing tunes make for the perfect new holiday musical.”

Except for the addition of Charlie Krawczyk as Santa, the entire cast will reprise their roles from last season including: Lee O. Smith as Capt. Braidbeard, Brandi Smith as Maxine, Andy Nyland as Sharktooth, Julian Deleon as Pierre, Paul Lindley II as Swill, and Ashlyn Combs as Jeremy Jacob. Kaitlyn Fuller is also the swing for Swill.

Tickets are $10 for anyone over the age of 3 ($5 for the Saturday night show); for more information, visit columbiachildrenstheatre.com

Katie McElveen, Special to The State