Kiss of the Pirate King

starring: EMMA REINAGEL & NICK RITACCO

Kidnapped from her wedding by a ruthless pirate captain, Daphne becomes collateral for her father’s debt. Trapped at sea, she fights to survive a deadly crew - and a dangerous attraction to the man who owns her fate.

REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Well firstly this looks fantastic. We have a full on pirate ship, some of the best costumes seen in verts, and outstanding production design. This is astonishing given the budget and timescale of verts. Bravo

And this is the role @nick.ritacco has been waiting for. It's easy to forget sometimes how good vertical actors are when they Are stuck with similar interchangeable scripts and characters. Give Nick something a bit different and he has leapt at the chance and this is by far my fave and his best performance in Verticals. He adds something to every line, drives the entire story forward, brings the emotion, is fantastic at the action scenes and crucially has the presence and swagger to make this role unforgettable. This is box office opening hero stuff. He is kind of reminding me of Sean Connery, but better.

Which is why I am so frustrated for @emmareinagel because good grief Daphne is a dreadfully written character. Reminds me of the 1980 Lew Grade Barbara Cartland movies where all the heroine gets to do is scream and be rescued. Honestly it's such a disservice to a super actress. Daphne is given very little agency, everything is about the men around here. Fair enough in the 1980s but this is 40 years later. At least give her some banter. Let her use her wits to outsmart others. I can tell you small teen would be furious at the writing here.

I demand justice for @emmareinagel a lead role where she does all the action and rescues the men

And it is particularly frustrating because the character of Jezebel is brilliant - she gets the lines, the action and is more than a match for Xavian. @fionadorn is superb and that Glasgow Kiss was perfection

Shout out to @fit4la who as long suffering Drok. Do worry about Xavian's judgement, he doesn't seem to run that ship well, and with the way @arnohorn15 skulks about as Jericho you can tell from the start he will betray his captain

Some great classic pirate moments - walking the plank, the threat to drag someone under the ship, sword fights at the end.

It's frustrating that the script lets it down esp for Daphne. The story loses focus in the middle and there are a few clunky lines.

But overall great attempt.

💖 Top swoonworthy moment:

If you aren’t already a Nick Ritacco fan you will be at the end of this. It’s matinee idol stuff. Debonair and charming, vulnerable and dangerous, he looks iconic, wrings the value out of every line, and spends a lot of time with his shirt off.

🦹🏼‍♂️ Top villain award:

Lucien is the perfect prissy awful British nobleman, but it is all about Jezebel. Oh my goodness what an icon, and to be honest was shipping her getting back together with Lucien. From the Scottish accent to Glasgow kiss to the best use of thighs in a fight since Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) in Goldeneye.

😂 Comedy gold:

The accents wobble a little, but really very good attempts given that there is no time in verticals for months of training and prep. Also a lot of excellent I thought they were dead, oh no they are not moments, which are always fun.

🎺 Unsung hero:

Drok. Poor man just wants to get on with the pirate lifestyle - clearly should have been chosen as first mate over the treacherous Jericho, and is desperately trying to follow the pirate code, whilst Xavian keeps changing his mind. I say commandeer the ship Drok, and go seek some treasure.

✍🏼 DETAILS

Director: Dylan Vox | 2026

Available on My Drama