Musical Plays
Bob has written many musical plays. The best-known of these is his musical melodrama, The Fish Pirate’s Daughter, which has been performed every summer for the past 57 years in his hometown of Ketchikan.
The Fish Pirate's Daughter, or Nobody's Perfect Sweet William
Story and lyrics by Robert Kinerk
Music by Jim Alguire
The Fish Pirate’s Daughter is a farcical look at the serious business of stealing salmon in the days of the hated fish traps, which were devices anchored at the mouths of streams to scoop up every migrating salmon before it could wiggle upstream and spawn. The devices were wiping out whole salmon populations, but the law protected them. Hence, fish pirates, commercial fishermen who, in the dark of night . . . Well, you can imagine the conflicts and the escalation into violence. Fish traps are gone now. But their colorful era in Ketchikan’s history remains alive in The Fish Pirate’s Daughter.
Newspaper ad for an early production
L to R - Bob's father Gene, Bob (playing the villain) and Leslie Cauthen
The Great Winnipesaukee Steamboat Race and Musical Talent Contest
Story and lyrics by Robert Kinerk
Music by Andrew Rosenthal
Another musical melodrama Bob wrote, The Great Winnipesaukee Steamboat Race and Musical Talent Contest, was first performed in 1978 in Laconia, New Hampshire, a town he called home in the 70's. The play poses the eternal question: can a nefarious villain steal the heart of a beautiful maiden because her noble boyfriend hasn’t a clue about what’s going on?
Steamboat Race hero Peter Hanse and the chorus.
Beginning in 2010, five of Bob’s musical plays for children were chosen for performance at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, MA. Bob wrote the books and lyrics. He found talented composers to supply the music. The Majestic put sparkling young actors on the stage, clothed them in fun and innovative costumes, and built fantastic sets. Seeing those plays brought to life, over a number of years, has been among the highlights of Bob’s writing life.
Slim and Miss Prim
Story and lyrics by Robert Kinerk
Music by Tom Knightlee
When bandits steal Miss Prim’s cows, they steal her cowboy, too. Miss Prim takes off to set things straight, and not only overpowers the bandits but finds romance as well.
Cast of Slim and Miss Prim with Bob
Clorinda
Story and lyrics by Robert Kinerk
Music by Stephen Murray
A cow pins all her hopes on becoming a ballet star. Her debut is a disaster, but not quite disaster enough to quench her indomitable spirit.
Clorinda, Len and Hop
Rumpelstiltskin
Story and lyrics by Robert Kinerk
Music by Stephen Murray
A father’s boasts about his daughter’s skill at spinning straw into gold runs smack up against a monarch who can’t keep his plane in the air.
Cast of Rumpelstiltskin with Bob
Hansel and Gretel
Story and lyrics by Robert Kinerk
Music by Tyrone L. Robinson and Ayesu Lartey
Can a loving pet cure the cruelty of a wicked stepmother? Might that same pet be dumb enough to gobble up the doggie treats Hansel and Gretel drop to mark their trail through the woods?
Cast of Hansel & Gretel with Bob.
The Frog Prince: A Musical
Story and lyrics by Robert Kinerk
Music by Sam Beebe
A frog would like to eat carrots for breakfast, but he can’t consume that human food unless a princess kisses him and makes him a prince. The princess has other things on her mind—she’s got an obnoxious boyfriend with a solid-gold motorcycle.
Cast of The Frog Prince: A Musical with Bob