Synopsis of 'Raise Your Flag'

Just throwing a few ideas about with what the actual story behind my pirate musical could be...

But each has to have the following typical tropes:

• Pirate Ship
• Sword Fight
• Some sort of gold/treasure
• Rum

1. A pirate who faces the gallows for treason but falls in love with the governors daughter. There would be a prologue showing part of the end scene where he is about to be hung, standing on the gallows, big drum beat, big crowds. Then flash back and the story unfolds. Starts on a ship with a big number, celebrating having stolen cargo from the East India Trading Company. They go to a tavern on land to celebrate. Bad move. Before he is caught and taken to jail he meets the governors daughter for the first time in a tavern. You see, the governors daughter is rebellious and wants individuality so 'escapes' regularly, wearing a disguise. Bit of the whole 'I don't want to marry for money or status, I want to marry for love' that you see a lot in films and stories. It's love at first site, but that night he is captured, the tavern is raided, big sword fight. The governors daughter doesn't get seen though. He helps her get away before he is captured. Then the struggle as they declare their love for each other in a beautiful duet through jail bars and the governor discovers what she has been up to. He brings forward the gallows date to the next day. Reprise of the beautiful duet. The gallows day - scene starts the same as the prologue. She jumps up onto the gallows and a bit of the 'if you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me first' type thing. Big song that is a round with the lovers, governor, guards and public watching the hanging. Being pirates, their mischievous and clever...one escapes. And a big sword fight begins. The lovers and about half the original crew get away and the musical ends back on the ship with a reprise of the first number as they sail off into the sunset.
2. Two rival ships battle/race for a hidden treasure. But although this could be good, staging it would be near impossible. So I may try and incorporate the idea of chasing treasure into one of the other ideas.
3. Boys father owns the biggest, meanest pirate ship in the entire ocean. The mother died at birth. The father really loved her and was devastated, he locked up his feelings though and carried on the only way he knew how. But the boy, as he grows up doesn't want to be a pirate...it's not the life for him...In the middle of the night he makes a break for it and runs away, taking the rowing boat. There is a big storm that night/ the mermaids sirens begin and he cannot resist. His pirates ship can resist though as the father has shut himself out from the world of love and women. Somehow blocks his ears and steers the ship away. The son becomes stranded on a deserted islands where the only other life form is mermaids. He falls in love with one of the mermaids but there are obvious complications in their relationship...he lives on land and can't breath underwater. They have the option of overcoming this though as true loves first kiss can turn her from a mermaid to a beautiful woman. They are about to share their first kiss when... His fathers ship tracks him down but he refuses to go with them. So they capture the mermaids. There's a big sword fight, the father loses his balance and falls back, in to sea. The boy reaches out to save him but can't reach and the father dies. But I'm not sure I want the father to die because of the son. It's mean. However, if the father were to die, the ship would become the sons responsibilities. Then he has the choice of whether to honour his fathers dying wish which will be one of two... 1 - to keep the ship in the families name. 2 - to give everything up for the mermaid he loves, for love is hard to find and he loved the mother. I will ask peoples opinions on which ending they prefer.
4. Or, something based around a love story with a pirate and gypsy girl. But this may not give as much freedom.

Feel free to comment on your favourite synopsis...