The Accidental Patriot

The Stolen Chair Theatre Company premieres The Accidental Patriot: The Lamentable Tragedy of the Pirate Desmond Connelly, Irish by Birth, English by Blood, and American by Inclination. Kiran Rikhye’s swashbuckling adventure is directed by Jon Stancato.

This original 1930s-style swashbuckler is set against the tumultuous backdrop of the American Revolution. Mashing together Greek tragedy and Errol Flynn-era pirate films, it features both rapier duels and rapier wit as it satirizes heroism, patriotism, altruism, and all of the other “-isms” that move us to action.

British privateer Desmond Connelly takes up the colonists’ cause when a British admiral murders his best friend, a Bostonian patriot. He abandons his post to become a pirate, seeking his vengeance and sailing towards the destiny that will reveal his mysterious parentage.