A Pirate's Tale

**A Pirate's Tale** is a 2014 stand-alone album written and produced by Paul Shapera and based on the story by Shaun Rolly. It was released on June 10, 2014.

The play includes several scenes of dialogue, and many plot points are not covered in the songs. A video of a performance of the show can be found on YouTube

The song order of the plot does not match the song order as listed on the Original Cast Recording.

## Plot

### Act One

The scene opens with the Pirate Crew of the Anne-Marie are engaged in a battle with a ship from the Spanish Navy. At the end of the battle the other ship, The Raven, surrenders. (*A Pirate's Tale*)

The new prisoners are brought on board to the Anne-Marie. Captian Tristan, his partner Cassandra, and the first mate Sebastian introduce themselves to the surrendered naval captain Dante. The pirates claim The Raven and all treasure onboard as theirs, and send their prisoners to be locked up in the brig. The crew gets to work repairing both ships after the battle. (*The Work Song*)

The prisoners look for a way to escape the cell, but find no luck. Cassandra comes to bring food and offer some medical help, but Dante attacks her in an attempt to demand their release. Cassandra frees herself from his hold, indignant that she was attacked when she came to offer assistance.

Sebastian and Tristan celebrate their victory, and Tristan offers Sebastian the honor of being the new captain of the Raven. Sebastian accepts. Dante is brought in to be interrogated. Sebastian and Tristan suggest that Dante the location of the rest of the fleet and become a pirate. They describing their history and the reasons that they turned and became pirates. (*The Seduction of Interrogation*)

Dante refuses to betray his country, and he is taken away. Sebastian and Tristan wonder what to do with their prisoners, since they do not have the ability to fight the entire navy of Spain. Tristan suggests selling them into slavery and let the Navy believe that the Raven sunk into the sea. Sebastian is strongly opposed to the idea and does not want any part in this plan. Cassandra walks in, and Sebastian is dismissed. Tristan and Cassandra talk about their love for each other, and dream a future where they are in a kingdom of their own, each of them with their own ship (*Tristan & Cassie*)

The prisoners are put to work on the deck of the Anne-Marie, under the eye of Abigail the deck boss. Dante collapses from exhaustion and requests some water. Cassandra offers him some water, and Dante apologizes for his earlier actions. The prisoners are taken back to the brig, and Tristan and Sebastian get into an argument. Tristan orders that the treasure from the Raven be transferred to the Anne-Marie, and Sebastian threatens to reveal to the crew that Tristan takes a third more than his share. They draw their swords and begin to fight, but Cassandra comes to break them up. Upon hearing that Tristan madee Sebastian the captain of The Raven, Cassandra becomes angry that Tristan broke his promise of giving her the next ship they captured. Tristan declares that he's the captain and he gives the orders, and he exits. Sebastian apologizes to Cassandra, saying he didn't know about Tristan's promise to her, and he tells her of the plan to sell the prisoners into slavery.

Everyone on board, prisoners and pirates alike, sing of their homes that they left behind to sail the seas. (*Home*) Cassandra visits Dante in his cell again, and she remarks that nobody has apologized to her before. Dante tells her that she has a good soul. Cassandra claims that Dante is lying about there being other ships out there searching for The Raven, and she says she's the only one on the ship who can help him. After she exits the brig, Cassandra sings about her past that is full of loss and drove her to become a pirate. (*Hey Diddle Diddle*)

Sebastian meets with selected members of the crew under the cover of night. He describes to them Tristan's orders and plans, and they all agree that it sounds like Tristan is planning on keeping the treasure for himself and ditching them at next port and finding a new crew. They all back Sebastian with his plans for mutiny. (*Pit of Soddan*)

The next morning, Tristan discovers that Sebastian has refused to hand over the treasure, and has taken half the crew. Sebastian and his crew show up with drawn swords, and they fight. Cassandra doesn't engage with either side, and after an even battle Sebastian and his crew leave, demanding that Tristan surrender by nightfall. Tristan accuses Cassandra of betraying him, and makes her walk the plank (*Cassie Walks The Plank*)

### Act Two

The prisoners are working aboard the deck of the Anne-Marie. Tristan accuses Dante of eyeing his woman, but then informs him that she's dead. Dante says that Cassandra deserved better than Tristan, and Tristan tells Dante of his plans to sell him and his crew into slavery. When he is alone, Tristan sings about the loss of Cassandra (*Cassie, Losing You*)

The crew of The Raven draw up plans for the incoming battle when Cassandra shows up and offers her help. They make a deal, if they defeat Tristan, Cassandra will be captain of the Anne-Marie and Sebastian will be captain of The Raven. (*Soddan Reprise*)

The women pirates gather on the Raven, those who were on the Anne-Marie give an update on Tristan is doing. They join together in order to seize the Anne-Marie, with the knowledge that the men will underestimate their strength (*Tale of 1,000 Trials*)

Tristan comes to The Raven for parlay. Unseen by Tristan and Sebastian, Cassandra leaves to go to the Anne-Marie, leaving Abigail behind to stall and buy them time. After some time arguing back and forth between Tristan and Sebastian, Abigail mentions a custom from her hometown, and suggests that the matter be settled in a war of jigs. (*Abigail's Jig*)

On the Anne-Marie, Cassandra goes to Dante and the prisoners from the cell, saying that there's about to be a war they don't deserve to die in chains. (*Shelter Me*) Before she opens the door, the prisoners start talking about how they're going to take revenge on the pirates, and Cassandra changes her minds and leaves them in the cell.

Back at The Raven, negotiations fall apart. Tristan and Sebastian continue to argue until it is clear that they cannot agree and the matter must be settled through battle (*Ride The Hemp*)

The Raven and The Anne-Marie begin battle. The Raven destroys the rudder of the Anne-Marie, and Tristan discovers that all of their ammunition was stolen during the parlay. The crew of the Raven board the Anne-Marie, and they continue the fight with swords. (*The War Song*)

Cassandra has stayed out of sight, and heads to the brig. The prisoners don't trust her after she refused to let them out earlier, but Cassandra tells them that she has a plan. Meanwhile, Sebastian's crew is losing the fight, but before Tristan sentences Sebastian to death for mutiny, Cassandra appears. Tristan is shocked that she's still alive, and Cassandra vows revenge on him. Cassandra, Dante and the rest of the prisoners join the fight, and in the end Tristan surrenders. Sebastian was mortally wounded during the battle and dies. (*The Battle*)

Cassandra refuses to kill Tristan. Instead she promises to release Dante and the rest of the prisoners with Tristan in their custody, to be tried for kidnapping, piracy, and murder. Dante thanks her and promises to throw off the trail when the navy starts looking for their captured ship. Cassandra appoints the women as the captain of the Raven and the two first mates of the ships, and she becomes the captain of the Anne-Marie and claims for herself the title of Pirate Queen. (*A Pirate's Tale Reprise*)

## Soundtrack

The Soundtrack is presented here in the order it is distributed on Bandcamp.

## Cast

Other recordings : Midwest Cast, produced by Jada LaFrance, who also plays Cassandra. With Cody Jensen as Tristan, David DeNeui as Sebastian, Jason Meyer as Dante, Hannah Rob as Abigail, Sarah Friesen, Courtney Kryzer, William McIntyre and Matthew Sveska