This might be the best hour you spend in Skagway, a show full of jokes, lore and action performed well by semi-professional actors. It’s all based on the true history of Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith, the outlaw and con man who is the town’s most infamous pioneer.
Summertime melodramas were once common fare in Alaska, with each town or watering hole offering a different version of the Snidely Whiplash vs. Danny DoGood story. Many have faded. Skagway’s show is now nearly 100 years old and deservedly so. It’s tightly written, well acted and includes heaping portions of jokes and humor, northern lore, poetry, can-can dancing and audience participation. Plus, it’s a true story. Billed as a “vaudevillian musical,” it’s great entertainment value that doesn’t waste the audience’s time. Held in the music auditorium of Skagway’s Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall, Sixth Ave and Broadway.
