Contract signed for Irish musical

For the last few years I've been working on a style of playwriting I call "Storyteller Theatre," through which I adapt lesser-known folk and fairy tales for performance by an onstage ensemble which both narrates and plays the characters, often at the same time. It was inspired by Paul Sills' "Story Theatre," which was a TV show in the '60s, but involves larger casts, costumes, props, sets and other forms of technical support.

I love this style of theatre because it emphasizes both the literary AND theatrical elements of drama, and allows for very flexible casting and low production budgets. It's also important to keep these lesser-known stories alive.

Among the first of these Storyteller Theatre scripts was Blather, Blarney and Balderdash, a comedic collection of Irish fairy tales, which has been a tremendous success with elementary, middle and high schools.

Last week I signed contracts with Pioneer Drama Service and prolific composer Bill Francoeur for a MUSICAL version of BBB, which will most likely be entitled Once Upon a Leprechaun. The show should be available in the Spring.

Bill is an extraordinary composer. I first worked with him back in the '80s on my non-ballet, children's musical version of Nutcracker, and more recently on my Storyteller Theatre version of Pinocchio, called No Strings Attached. He's absolutely amazing, gifted in every style of music and lyric writing, and I'm confident the "Irish-Celtic" sound he gives BBB will help the show reach an even larger audience as a full scale musical.

I'm very grateful to Pioneer Drama Service for remaining on the cutting edge of developing affordable, entertaining shows for schools and amateur theatre companies.~

For a list of Bill Francoeur's 80-plus other musicals published by Pioneer Drama service, click here.
For a complete list of my published plays, check out my Playwright Priest web page by going to http://home.comcast.net/~prdorn/site/.

REVIEW: Fat Pig

Andy Anderson and Mari Geasair star in Vintage Theatre's production of Fat Pig, performing at the Aurora Fox Studio Theatre through November 1, 2009. Photo Credit: Cheryl Wiles

Playwright Neil LaBute explores the important and emotion-packed subjects of love, acceptance and obesity in his play Fat Pig, but only scratches the surface. This is ironic, because the heart of the play has to do with learning to look past the exterior, and to be SEEN, looking deeper.

Helen, a plus-sized librarian (Mari Geasair) and Tom (Andy Anderson), a regular guy who works on a laptop in an office that has a plush red couch, meet in a fast food restaurant over pizza (hers) and salad (his). There's a mutual attraction that leads to romance, but there's also a glitch. Though she is comfortable with her body, he is ashamed to be seen in public with her, and mortified when a crass co-worker (James O'Hagan Murphy) and a recently spurned hottie (Janelle Christie) find out.

Will true love or peer pressure win out? Will the nice guy turn out to be a cad or a crusader? Will the vulnerable "fat girl's" feelings get hurt? Well, either way SHE'S going to suffer. But the play is really about HIM, because the play was written by a man. Her appearance is only a problem because HE'S got a problem with it.

After some witty repartee early in the courtship, Helen and Tom fall into a litany of repetitious scenes: "Are you sure you're okay with me being heavy?" "Yes, I'm sure." "Are you really sure?" "Yes, let's go somewhere less public." "Are you really, really sure?" "Uh, I WANT to be sure." Neither the fine acting skills and total emotional commitment  of Geasair and Anderson, nor the caring, careful direction of Linda N. Suttle and Jeremy Make can keep this going forever, or even for 90 minutes with no intermission. I really wanted her to just smack the wimp around a little and bring him to his senses.

The casting also is problematic. Geasair simply isn't as big as the script seems to require, and Anderson, though he has perfected the art of portraying White Man's Guilt, doesn't seem physically incompatible with her. They actually make a cute couple, and it's kind of fun to watch them roll around together on an inflatable bed. So what's the problem? We're all supposed to stare at them and be shocked, but they look pretty much like most couples you see shopping and sampling freebies at Costco on a weekend. How is it that office romances have to be so different?

Interestingly, the horrifically rude and hateful things said by the couple's counterparts open up some bold and complicated variations on the theme. Both see the attraction to and revulsion from obesity as a "mommy" issue. Though mostly in monologue, these two characters cut to the chase in a provocative way, while poor Tom just looks uncomfortable and filled with self-loathing. No one mentions the health concerns and complications of being overweight, as if it's only appearances that matter.

Appearances DO matter. But so do physical and emotional well-being. And love matters most of all. Body image can't be divorced from the truth that, male and female, we are made in the image of God, and that all of us are infinitely precious, deserving of being treated with dignity and respect.

Fat Pig opens the door for this kind of conversation, but only puts one foot inside.

Vintage Theatre's production of Fat Pig plays through Nov. 1 at the Aurora Fox Studio Theatre. Call 303-739-1970 or visit online at www.fatpigdenver.com for information and reservations.

REVIEW: Haunted

Left to right: Blaine Daniel, Clarissa Hope Stranske, Luke Terry, Andrea Rabold, Jennifer York, Owen Niland star in the ghostly ensemble chiller Haunted. Photo Credit: Brian Miller

There's so much hearsay and outright fraud in the "ghostchaser" industry, it's becoming harder and harder to separate fact from fiction. The gullible want to believe that ALL ghost stories are fact, and skeptics reject all paranormal activity as fiction.

But hey, done well, spectral fiction can be FUN, especially if it is grounded in truth. Firehouse Theater's production of Haunted has a little of each, and half the fun is in figuring out which claims have the ring of truth, and when our collective legs are being pulled. 

Maggie Stillman, author of Haunted, is comfortable in both worlds. She's the artistic director of Firehouse Theater Company, a school teacher, and an actual investigator with Colorado Paranormal Research and Investigations. Along with others, she has pieced together spooky audio recordings taken from famous haunted houses, conducted interviews with employees and owners of several fabulously ghost-infested Colorado landmarks, thrown in some macabre poems, and given audiences a supernatural thrill ride with local connections.

Natives and tourists alike will recognize these familiar haunts, all of which DESERVE to be homes to spooks and specters: The Denver Victorian Playhouse (built in a bungalow basement by a tubercular Shakespearean actor), Estes Park's Stanley Hotel (Stephen King's mysterious muse), Littleton's Melting Pot restaurant (former library built by an occultist and site of a lethal jail break), Grant-Humphreys Mansion (corrupt millionaire politician and a hunting rifle "accident"), and the Byers-Evans mansion (poltergeist playhouse).

Historical anecdotes and reenactments of first-hand accounts lend credibility to the tales. Typical of these kinds of investigations, the manifestations range from helpful to malevolent, though most are actually pretty petty or pedestrian. Cold spots and swaying curtains and disembodied footsteps, oh my! Most of the phenomena seem more like the echoes and psychic residue of people long gone, rather than activities by "real, live" ghosts. And some can simply be attributed to buggy technology.

But the MOOD created by the ensemble really pulls it off. There's occasional and appropriate comic relief, but mostly the cast just wants to scare the bejeebers out of the audience. And they do. One of the most effective techniques, along with body language and vocal expression, is that they often stare right at ticket holders, crossing the imaginary veil between audience and actor. There's nothing more unnerving than having an actor look you straight in the eye and daring you to disbelieve.

There are plenty of squirm-worthy moments in Haunted, which runs about 75 minutes with no intermission. Stillman and adapters Lindsay Friedman, Laura Ione and Amy Ratliff have done their homework, and the cast, which includes Blaine T. Daniel, Andrea Rabold, Luke Allen Terry, Owen Niland, Clarissa Hope Stranske and Jennifer E. York throw themselves into the task like eager camp counselors taking the audience on a night hike. The territory may be familiar, but everything seems different when you hold very still, talk in a scary voice and don't blink. 

Christians aren't always sure what to think about ghosts and hauntings, either pooh-poohing them outright or labeling it all as demonic activity. But the 12 disciples took for granted the existence of ghosts (Mark 6:49), and one of the eeriest passages from the prophet Isaiah (29:4) reads

And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. (ESV)

Ooooooh. So, let's keep an open mind, here. And if you aren't scared by Haunted, you can have nearly as much fun by PRETENDING to be. 

Haunted plays through Nov. 7 at the John Hand Theater in east Denver. Call 303-562-3232 or visit online at www.firehousetheatercompany.com.

REVIEW: Wicked

 Left to right, Chandra Lee Schwartz and Donna Vivino in Wicked. Photo credit: Joan Marcus

At first I didn't think I was going to be able to get a press ticket for Wicked. That's how popular this musical "prequel" to The Wizard of Oz has become. But not all of the performances for the Stephen Schwartz musical, which plays at the Buell Theatre through November 15 are sold out. There's a lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats held before each performance. You can still get "obstructed" view seats, and even some premium seats have opened up.

And this is Wicked's THIRD visit to Denver!

Is the show really worth all this buzz? Yep. Unlike the so-called Wonderful Wizard, there is a lot more to this musical than just razzle dazzle, smoke and mirrors.

Based on the 1995 best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked gives us the back story behind the early years of rivalry and rise to fame and/or infamy of Glinda the Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The origins of the Tin Man, Scarecrow and to a far lesser extent the Cowardly Lion also are presented, all in the context of a social intrigue involving scapegoating (quite literally) of talking animals, using fear as a political tool, persecution of those who are different, and discrimination based on appearance (it's not easy being green).

The spectacle certainly delivers. Flying monkeys, a levitating Elphaba, a floating bubble machine for Glinda, and the most creative costume design for the Munchkins and Oznians this side of Dr. Seuss. But really, the phenomenal success of Wicked, in my opinion, is due to the fascinating and heart-warmingly tragic friendship between the two young women, and Schwartz's score, which boasts more than its share of show-stopping, bringing down the house solos and duets in order to contrast and showcase the talents of the two leading ladies.

Wicked is extraordinarily popular with "tween" girls. Something about the uneasy friendship between the ditzy, glamorous and popular Galinda/Glinda and the stubborn, moody but talented Elphaba strikes a very deep chord. Several instances of unrequited romantic love give the boy/girl relationships an adolescent spin, as well. The corruption and villainy of Miss Morrible makes her a cartoonish antagonist, but the diabolical, slippery moral ambiguity of the Wizard who wants people to be scared so he can give them what they want, while all he ever really longed for was to be a dad, is actually quite profound.

There are numerous ironic twists, particularly in the lyrics, that refer to the Wizard of Oz. Often they feel like clever in-jokes, but actually, the irony furthers the themes of going beyond public opinion and spin, that good and evil among humans are often subjective concepts, and that sometimes the villain is actually a misunderstood hero.

For information and tickets to Wicked, call 303-893-4100 or visit www.denvercenter.org. For more information on the musical itself, visit www.wickedthemusical.com.

REVIEW: Halloween Dreams

There's something sweet and nostalgic about Vintage Theatre's production of Halloween Dreams -- except for the part about the axe murderer.

This tender family drama, frequently punctuated by shrieks and giggles, hearkens back to the days when a sweet old lady in a wheelchair could bake pies for the neighbors, decorate her leaf-strewn yard with Styrofoam headstones, scarecrows and rubber bats, pull out a flashlight and delight the local children with spooky campfire stories.

For Gram Doobie (in a star-vehicle role ably played by respected veteran actress Nita Froelich), Halloween is a month-long celebration of dressing up, playing make-believe, bringing out the best in the family and community, and also acknowledging our own mortality and fascination with death in a forthright, compassionate and festive atmosphere.

Then, like a worm in a crisp, sweet apple, an axe murderer invades cozy Chestnut Hollow and spoils a good thing. The folksy sheriff (Scott Glennon) is stymied, and his frustration prevents him from declaring his honorable intentions toward Gram's lonely, single-mom daughter Autumn (Janine Ann Kehlenbach), or becoming a much needed father figure to Gram's precocious grandchildren. The two youngest grand kids are acting out, playing pranks on humorless Reverend Brittle (Patrick Collins), and the eldest, brooding Norman (Campbell Hart) spends a lot of time away from hearth and home, worrying everyone.

Well, by golly, it's up to Gram to do something about it, and set all things to right before joining her beloved husband in the Grim Reaper's comforting embrace.

Craig A. Bond does a fine job directing what appears to be a simple, but is actually a logistically tricky script. There are half a dozen kids on (and off) stage, fight scenes to choreograph, suspense and suspicions to nurture, and like any good Halloween play, this show is prop and costume intensive. That's a lot to coordinate in a small theatre, and Bond makes it look easy, no doubt in part because he has assembled a skilled and dedicated crew.

Halloween Dreams is family friendly entertainment, though it would be best not to bring small children. The play has mild profanity, scary images, startling moments and some onstage violence (there IS an axe murderer in Chestnut Hollow, after all, and it could be almost ANYONE!).

On the night I attended, clearly two thirds of the nearly full house had never been to Vintage Theatre before. That speaks well of the company, and the future of small theatre in Denver. Just so long as we can keep the bad guys from spoiling all the fun!

Halloween Dreams plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through October 31, with a special matinee performance on Oct. 31. Call 303-839-1361 or visit www.vintagetheatre.com for information and reservations. (Photo of Nita Froelich by Ellen Nelson.)