Theater Review / Fringe Theater’s Conch Republic the Musical! New updated version of a funny classic

By Joanna Brady

Every once in a while, a play will break outside the box and become a cult piece, attracting people every year. After five years of playing to sell-out audiences, Conch Republic the Musical! has started to achieve that coveted status. It’s a musical that is hilarious to locals who know the story and the players at the time; charming and entertaining for tourists wanting a fun night out.

In case you’re from ‘away’ and don’t know the story, this show is based on the birth of the mythical Conch Republic, which came about in 1982 after the Federal Government began to stop cars on ‘the Stretch’ of U.S. 1, looking for drugs, and choking off the thriving tourist boom that was Key West’s lifeblood.

The full cast sets the table with a number that gives us a mini history of Key West’s economic woes. Like a zigzag lifeline on a chart, the town’s resources fluctuate in a boom or bust mode, with sponges, then cigars, then conch, the arrival and departure of the Navy, all of them sustaining—then financially depressing—the townfolk. Refusing to be kept down, they always struggle up off the mat, dust themselves off, and fight back, seeing an opportunity in every situation. As the song reiterates, they ‘make the best in every test’ because ‘It’s the Key West way.’

This becomes the theme for the whole musical, which showcases the efforts of some very fine local talent.

Rhett Kalman, who plays several roles, is very funny and versatile in this musical. He switches from a recurring southern drag queen who ends up decked out in a fantasy of diamanté and sequins bombarded with confetti, to the thug-like role of the officious federal border guard in a more dramatic number, checking, and searching as he plays a flashlight over the audience; and he plays a few other roles in between. He also dazzles us in a red bling jacket as Florida governor who sends his sympathy, ‘thoughts and prayers’ and nothing else. Sound familiar?

Mathias Maloff is great as the iconic Ed Swift, imploring the mayor to do something about the roadblock into Key West by the Feds. And he plays Peter Anderson, ‘seeing the opportunity’ developing before his eyes—even before the Conch Republic flag is introduced. He’s also the lawyer David Paul Horan.

Adding to the mix is Bernadette Restivo, who has a beautiful voice. She plays a Conch woman, then a Cuban abuela yearning for Cuba, and finally, the well-known prez of our Key West Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Panico. And there was no better voice on stage than Billy Cartledge, who plays a bar owner ‘Bubba’ suffering from loss of business because of the roadblock.

David Black, who has been entertaining us for several years, steers the story line, playing the role of the distraught mayor, frantically looking for a way out of the mess the Feds have created. He’s the glue that holds it all together. He, Swift, and Panico decide ‘Why wait for assistance? It’s up to us. Take charge.’ The Conch Republic is born and he conducts the secession ceremony at the end, he declares war on the U.S., then surrenders before he applies for a billion dollars in reparations.  

Monnie King, who created this satire, can be proud of its longevity. With the genius of music and lyrics by another of our favorite people, Gayla D. Morgan, this musical play has the legs to go a few more decades. Kudos to Rebecca Tomlinson’s direction. And a tip of the hat to Megan Constantine, who accompanied the cast on the piano, stopping only for dialogue in the 90 minutes of the play.

This musical will make you laugh from the start—to the happy finish, when Conch Republic flags are passed out to wave in the final number. Join the cult and cheer!

Runs April 19-21 and 24-28 at The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton St. All curtains at 7 p.m. For tickets call 305 731-0581.

(Joanna Brady is a local writer, author of the historical novel of Key West, The Woman at the Light, published by St. Martin’s Press).

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]