Shiver me timbers!

'How I Became a Pirate' at CTC

photo Captain Braid Beard (portrayed by Noah Phillips) teaches Jeremy Jacobs (Mason Carter) all about the life of a pirate.

IF YOU GOWhat: "How I Became a Pirate"When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, April 5 and April 12; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, April 6-7 and 13-14Where: MainStage, Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St.Admission: $8-$10Phone: 423-267-8534Website: www.theatrecentre.comPIRATES ON THE TOWNThe cast of "How I Became a Pirate" will perform numbers from the production during the 4 Bridges Arts Festival on Saturday, April 13, from 11 to 11:20 a.m. at First Tennessee Pavilion.

Sand, water and pirate figurines in the hands of a young boy at the beach practically beg for a runaway imagination.

That's what the character Jeremy Jacob provides in "How I Became a Pirate," the musical that opens on the MainStage at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre on Friday, April 5.

"His imagination gets away with him," says director Maria Chattin-Carter. "Real pirates show up, and they take him out and show him what it's like to be a pirate."

It's a fun show geared for the whole family, she says. Parents will get the humorous pop-culture references and clever dialogue, while children will laugh at the slapstick moments and "goofy stuff that happens."

The musical was written by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman and is based on a book by Melinda Long.

"A lot of people will go home singing the songs," Chattin-Carter predicts.

The eight-person cast is composed of boys and girls from the fifth through the 12th grades.

Its main appeal is to children in preschool through the sixth grade. The swashbuckling subject of pirates will automatically appeal to boys, she says, but "I think even little girls would enjoy it. As an adult, I enjoyed [seeing it]. I thought it was really cool. That's why I wanted to do it.

Contact Clint Cooper at ccooper@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6497. Subscribe to his posts online at Facebook.com/ClintCooperCTFP.

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