“Bum Farto the Musical” brings to life one of Key West’s most infamous and colorful characters. Bum Farto, the fire chief who mysteriously vanished in 1976, is reimagined as a charismatic anti-hero in this wildly entertaining musical. The show is performed at the San Carlos Institute Oct. 17-26.
With a story spilling over with Key West’s eccentric charm, director Pamela Stephenson Connolly crafts a tale as quirky and captivating as the island itself.
Packed with unforgettable tunes, high-energy dance numbers, and a cast of colorful characters, this show brings the island’s freewheeling spirit to life. “Bum Farto the Musical” takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride through his outrageous life and its outward ripples, drawing viewers in as the madness of Farto’s escapades unfold into hilarious drama.
In a red leisure suit and dripping with gold jewelry, fire chief Bum Farto cruised around Key West in a lime green Ford Galaxy with a vanity license plate identifiying him as “El Jefe,” Spanish for chief. This larger-than-life fire chief wasn’t just fighting fires — he was allegedly running a drug ring and a bustling gaming house.
When the Florida Keys became a battleground for the federal “War on Drugs,” Farto got caught in a sting operation that found him selling cocaine out of the island’s fire stations. Before he could face the music during a Miami trial, he vanished, prompting Key West’s most-obsessed-over mystery. 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 and bring him back to face the charges.
For an in-depth look into the strange, but true story of Bum Farto, check out David Sloan’s “ Bum Farto Files,” a months-long investigative series published by the Keys Weekly in 2020.
For a rousing musical that dances and dives into the myths and truths of Bum Farto, mixing history with flamboyant island magic, visit keywestinternationaldancecompany.com or keystix.com.
