Last Call Theatre is known for creating complex stories with many possible endings for its immersive theatrical shows. Settings from its previous shows range from a post-apocalyptic world to a witch hunt, and Pirates Wanted is the company’s most immersive and entertaining show yet. Guests get to be part of a pirate adventure on board the American Pride, a ship currently residing in Long Beach, CA. Pirates Wanted provides a colorful pirate cast that helps engage guests in a riveting and hilarious experience, where you get to become part of a pirate crew and choose your own adventure.
Guests first arrive near the American Pride, a tall ship that launched in 1941 and is operated by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute. They can dress up like pirates to immerse themselves in the story, and the cast of Pirates Wanted all have their own unique personalities with exciting escapades. Of course, we can’t have a pirate adventure without someone who channels Pirates of the Carribean‘s Captain Jack Sparrow.
The pirates introduced themselves to the large group of adventurers, and we had the option of either sneaking on board the American Pride or taking it over by “force.” (Remember, this is still immersive theatre, and you must follow the actors’ directions and be respectful.) The majority shouted to sneak onto the ship, and we slowly maneuvered toward it.
One of the newer options is being able to choose how much you want to interact with the actors. You can be really active or you can have a more passive role. The ones who want to watch and not interact will get to wear an eye mask. As for me, I love playing RPGs and tabletop RPGs, so being able to interact with the actors, complete objectives, and have a helping hand in advancing the story was my preference.
To make the best out of the experience, it’s recommended to participate and interact with the actors. The crew gives adventurers a to-do list, which helps them navigate around the ship to look for certain characters. This ranges from a pirate helping you learn to sword fight to a pirate helping with learning the parts of the ship. Since Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is one of my favorite films, I was heavily involved with the story involving Captain Draken, played by Shelby Ryan Lee. He was searching for a siren, a mythical creature known to entice sailers, and he tasked me with searching for her on the ship.
Pirates Wanted takes advantage of the American Pride ship as we get to move across from the stern to the bow. We could even enter the crew’s quarter to search for clues and items. With many guests taking on different tasks, there may be moments when the quest giver is busy, so you can either wait for the opportune time or look for other characters to ask for help.
The characters and their stories provided plenty of amusement, drama and laughter, whether it was playing matchmaker between two pirates or strengthening the bond of two siblings. There were also rivalries between a couple of pirates complete with swashbuckling action on their part. The whole experience ended with the pirates singing and playing instruments, and it was a wonderful conclusion to a lengthy adventure.
If you ever wanted to be part of an immersive pirate adventure, you can’t go wrong with Last Call Theatre’s Pirates Wanted There’s nothing quite like embarking on a journey with pirate actors on board an actual sailing vessel and helping them on their mission to piracy. The more you put into the story, the more you’ll get out of it.
You can get tickets at https://lastcalltheatre.ticketleap.com/pirateswanted.
