Have you seen it yet? The show everyone is talking about — other than whatever is happening on Duval Street during Fantasy Fest, of course.
We’re talking about “Bum Farto the Musical,” presented by the Key West International Dance Co., performed at the San Carlos Institute on Duval Street through Oct. 26.
The show reimagines Key West’s most enduring mysteries and reminds audiences of one of the island’s most legendary characters, a man who proved once again that truth really is stranger than fiction.
Director Pamela Stephenson Connolly has crafted a tale as captivating as the island itself. “Bum Farto the Musical” takes the audience through the outrageous life of former Key West fire chief Bum Farto.
In a red leisure suit and dripping with gold jewelry, Farto (yes, that was his real last name, while “Bum” was a nickname), cruised around Key West in a lime green Ford Galaxy with a vanity license plate identifying him as “El Jefe,” Spanish for chief. But this chief wasn’t just fighting fires — he was allegedly selling cocaine out of the fire station in an allegedly huge operation. Farto eventually got caught in a federal sting operation, but before he could face the music during a Miami trial, he vanished. Was he killed by the mob or by another criminal enterprise to prevent his testimony? Or, as many locals came to believe, did he flee the country before his trial and live out the rest of his life in the tropical paradise of Costa Rica, where at the time he would have been protected from U.S. efforts to extradite him?
Decide for yourself at “Bum Farto the Musical.”
For tickets and information, visit kwinternationaldancecompany.com.
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