101 Stage Adaptations Podcast

30/10/2024

Don't miss EVIL PERFECT by Spencer Huffman, now playing at Bramble Theatre, now extended through November 11!

Set in a tarnished society with twisted ideals, EVIL PERFECT is a messy and seductive play that attempts to reveal how good people with honorable intentions become evil.

This world premiere has been called "phenomenal," "wickedly good," and "a wild ride" by critics and audiences alike.

Use code FRIENDS for $10 off at checkout at https://www.brambletheatre.org/tickets-events

📸: EVIL PERFECT production photos by Jenn Udoni.

28/10/2024

Happy closing to Theater Latté Da on their extended run of SCOTLAND, PA!

Unless you’re already familiar with title, you may not know it from the clever artwork, but SCOTLAND, PA is a modern MACBETH. 🔪🍔 So that’s probably not ketchup. . .

Theater Latte Da’s SCOTLAND, PA is the regional premiere of this musical adaptation of a 2001 film (starring Christopher Walken as the McDuff character).

It’s the 70s, and the premise is that everybody works at Duncan’s, a burger diner, and Duncan the owner proudly underpays his employees and cuts their hours. In an attempt to take back (and then some!) money they are owed, Mac and and his girlfriend Pat end up frying Duncan, and through happenstance, become the new owners of the diner. Meanwhile McDuff investigates Duncan’s mysterious death, and he smells something a bit off about this whole operation. Oh, and in this version, the Wyrd Sisters are replaced by three stoners who sing and narrate. Hilarious. And of course Macbeth’s burger place is a clear send up for that well-known burger empire with the big M and their hunger to conquer all burger empires.

SCOTLAND, PA showcases really stellar talent. Amazing vocals all around. Fabulous set (Mina Kinukawa) and really clever lighting (Grant E. Merges) working together in tandem. Tom Reed plays Banko with such heartbreaking earnestness and even though his character is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, he was hard not to love. Bravo!

In the original Shakespeare, Lady M doesn’t really have a given name, and in this version her equivalent is named Pat, and throughout the show, I kept trying to figure out why. The best I could come up with was Patty, like burger patty, but her name was Pat, so I’m still not sure. Anyone know? 😆

25/10/2024

I attended the opening of EVIL PERFECT at Bramble Theatre over the weekend. (Full Disclosure: I am the head of marketing for this theatre company.) This world premiere by Spencer Huffman has been many years in the making, and we are all thrilled to finally pull back the yellow curtain on this show. The sold-out house was abuzz with excitement on Monday night, and we were all ready.

EVIL PERFECT could not be more timely – we’re overlapping Halloween and a Presidential election, and this show hits the center of the Venn diagram of Horror + Politics. We had planned to run this show nearly two years ago. However, construction delays on the Arts Loft led us to slate it now in this timeslot, making the timing a (ahem) perfect coincidence. This is Bramble's first full-length production ever, and we get to play it in our home at the Bramble Arts Loft.

EVIL PERFECT is about Puck, whose world view quickly unravels as he discovers the major cracks in his perfectly constructed life when he encounters Lily, who seeks justice for her husband and becomes Puck’s example of an agent of chaos in this repressive, ordered world.

If you enjoy Caryl Churchill’s plays, mystery, action, and ambiguity (moral or otherwise), this play is for you. EVIL PERFECT is unnerving, visceral and very funny, and also very not funny. The 4-person cast is stellar, each delivering a very strong performance. Delena Bradley’s amazing scenic design makes a small space seem huge, and Jonathan Shaboo’s direction uses every playing space on the stage. Audience members and critics are loving this show, with one review calling EVIL PERFECT “a play that completely takes your breath away.”

If you haven’t been to the Bramble Arts Loft in Andersonville yet, this is your cue. EVIL PERFECT is playing through November 10. Use code FRIENDS to get $15 regular priced tickets. https://www.brambletheatre.org/tickets-events

24/10/2024

I was fortunate to catch the Midwest premiere of BECKY NURSE OF SALEM by Sarah Ruhl over the weekend. I used to work for Shattered Globe Theatre Company, so I was excited to see what they’ve been up to recently. I love the graphic design aesthetic for this show, which features a donut shop sign (it’s explained in the story), and the playbill has a hidden witch I didn’t notice until writing this. 😲🧙‍♀️

The tagline for BECKY NURSE OF SALEM is “For all the girls who played Abigail in the school play.” 🤩 I did not play Abigail but for more on my CRUCIBLE experience, listen to Ep. 6. And if you need a good cackle, go to YouTube and search “Crucible Cast Party SNL.” You’re welcome.

BECKY NURSE is about a descendent of the Salem Witch Trials’ Rebecca Nurse, named Becky Nurse, who is a tour guide of the Salem Witch Museum. Her job is to dispel the false narratives that Arthur Miller’s play has imbued into the cultural mythology around the Witch Trials. With the help of a “witch,” she’s casting spells and trying to break generational curses. There are parallels between what she and her ancestor endured ie an actual trial. Not to mention angsty teenagers in love, and a wax figure for gags. The play also reimagines elements of the 1692 witch trials because what would a Sarah Ruhl play be without at least a dash of magical realism into the cauldron.

Linda Reiter drives this play with the help of a strong supporting cast, with fun witchy flourishes from Rebecca Jordan and a standout performance by Isabella Maria Valdés. I am all about CRUCIBLE related content as well as the exoneration of actual people who were executed for witchcraft, both of which are delivered in this play, which runs through November 16 at Theater Wit.

30/09/2024

Before the summer ended, I went to Delafield, WI for the first time to catch HAMLET at SummerStage of Delafield. What a delightful theatre in a state park! Yes, outdoors like the Greek gods intended.

One of my undergraduate friends, Jeff, was playing the Ghost 👻/Player King 👑/Grave Digger 💀 combo, and as it turned out, our mutual friend Paul was flying in from Canada to visit Jeff for a week, so obviously I went the same night as Paul.

You see, the three of us used to take the bus with our College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University theatre classmates (the Acting classes, the Theatre History classes, and Theatre Appreciation) from central MN to see shows in Minneapolis/St. Paul. We would spend the ride back discussing the shows and dreaming about what roles we’d like to play one day (at least for Paul and me because we were majoring in the performing arts; Jeff was on the poli-sci track and in choir and in the Theatre Appreciation class). If you had told us that ***22 years later*** one of us would be on stage with the other two sitting front row center cheering them on, we would not have guessed that Paul and I would be watching Jeff slay in HAMLET, but somehow it all seemed very full circle.

This script cutting of HAMLET was really well done, hitting all the important points while keeping the run time to about 2 ½ hours. I discovered things from this HAMLET that I had never seen in all the times I've watched it on stage or screen. I've mostly seen Hamlet portrayed as a very mopey and wounded character, whereas this Hamlet was very clearly duplicitous and playing everyone with clear intention, as opposed to incidentally.

Zach Thomas Woods’ performance as Hamlet was so dynamic and very physical. He was RUNNING around that set. I loved how Hamlet used all the levels and playing space on the stage, and I can only imagine how exhausted the actor was after every performance. And this Hamlet was very b***y and milked the jokes on country matters, etc! 😈 I don't remember HAMLET (the play or the character) being so funny. Paul and I especially enjoyed Hamlet's single sarcastic clap during the Gertrude/Claudius nuptial celebration because we both love some epic shade.

When Jeff finally spoke his lines as the Ghost, a voice came out of him that neither Paul nor I had ever heard before, and we were like “who is that?!” Jeff made all of his characters very different in voice and manner, and it was clear he understood all of his lines, which means *we* understood all of his lines. (If you’ve seen enough Shakespeare, you know what I mean.) But Jeff was one of the strongest actors on that stage. Jeff revealed after the show that the director’s intention was to have elements of Hamlet's father present in the two other characters. Yes to a dramaturgical through line!

The costumes were so fun and leaned Elizabethan to place us in in the world of the play. I love a crescent shoulder roll and trunk hose. The sword play was good. Ophelia's monologue into madness was incredibly strong.

The set for the gravedigger scene was so clever! The cover from one of the landings on the stairs came off so the gravedigger could be standing inside the grave. And I got to hear Jeff sing again, which hasn’t happened since I saw him in his undergraduate a capella group. So that was a pleasant surprise.

It was a great night of Shakespeare, friendship, and nostalgia for me. Thank you and bravi to all!

04/09/2024

Shots fired 🤣🤣🤣

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming season, which absolutely must dig us out of the red or it will be our last season! But no one is stressed,...

16/08/2024

The second half of my Guthrie Theater double feature was the iconic LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. OMG this was my first time ever seeing any version of this! I don't know how that happened, but here we are. Since Marcia Milgrom Dodge aka MMD was directing, I knew I couldn't miss it. (How is it that I know the directors of both Guthrie shows right now? What?!)

This production was absolute perfection! First of all - the music. THE MUSIC! I went in completely blind, so I didn't know that the music was in the style of 1960s pop/doo-wop. The casting was perfect. The singing, the staging, the costumes, the set, the car billboard, the puppets, the camp! Everything was fabulous.

Thanks Guthrie, I'm glad I was there too.

Listen to my interview with MMD on her ground-breaking production of Disney's BEAUTY & THE BEAST in Ep. 56 at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999313/14198019.

15/08/2024

The other week I did a Guthrie Theater double feature. First up was the Pulitzer-winner ENGLISH by Sanaz Toossi, directed by Hamid Dehghani.

This play is about adult students learning English in Iran, what it means to be competant in a language, what we give up when we stop speaking our native tongue, and is it worth what we might gain? There is a lot of humanity in this character-driven play.

I've been really into lighting recently, and the late afternoon shadows through the blinds were absolute perfection, Jason Lynch.

There were two non-English speakers sitting behind me. I don't know what language they were speaking, but I imagine it was Farsi because when one of the characters writes in Farsi on the white board, there were murmerings in an approving tone at her penmanship. It is always very special to witness a play's intended/representative audience enjoying the show.

If you haven't been to the Guthrie, I highly recommend the shows and the views. The overcast day offered a stunning reflection of the Gold Medal Flour sign on the windowsill, and you can't forget the iconic Stone Arch Bridge.

Here is a wild piece of theatre trivia: In 2018, I was a temp in the Northwestern University theatre office as their Graduate Program secretary. Coming in that fall were 3 new MFA Directors, one of whom is a friend of mine from Hawaii and another was Hamid Dehghani, who was immigrating from Iran specifically to be in this program. After emailing him for many months amidst a rather complex immigration situation (that, given my job, I WAS PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN), when Hamid walked into the theatre office, it was like a huge triumph for everyone involved, and I then had the pleasure of excorting him to Jessica Thebus's office to announce his arrival. Now he's directing shows at the Guthrie. 🤯

Congrats to Hamid and everyone involved in this production. You should be very proud.

14/08/2024

Proof that there is still a lot of good in the world and that theatre matters.

💖🎭💖

Roy Cockrum has donated more than $25 million to 39 theaters, helping the Old Globe in San Diego stage the one Shakespeare play it had yet to produce.

14/08/2024

When I was in Chicago, I caught yet another world premiere. This one was the musical adapation of the best-selling true crime thriller - MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL. Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Taylor Mac.

So much happens in this, y'all! I went in completely blind, having not read the book or seen the movie. I don't even know how to describe the story, so you'll have to read it/ see it for yourself if you are like me and are also unfamiliar. When I got home later in the week and told my mom about all the Chicago shows I had seen, and I attempted to describe this story, she was like "I literally just finished that book the other day," and then pointed to the table where it was sitting. 😱

There were so many stars! I was delightfully suprised to see Sierra Boggess on stage, as well as J. Harrison Ghee, who really brought the party as The Lady Chablis. The beginning scene with the fog and the lights and the voodoo and the choreography - stunning!

Ok, and for those of you who ask questions like, "what does this Bird Girl Statue have to do with anything?" (Oh? Just me?) - the answer is "she was in the cemetary and because of one photo suddenly became the symbol of Savannah." She is not mentioned in the book or this musical, and yet she is so THERE, I thought she was going to come to life as some deus ex machina. Speaking of statues, the statue set pieces (Christopher Oram) and the lighting (Neil Austin & Jamie Platt) in the cemetary scenes were so stunning, I could not stop looking at them. Like how do I get that in my backyard? Gorgeous.

Also gorgeous were the decorations in the lobby of the Goodman Theatre! How fun!

13/08/2024

On my last trip to Chicago, I was fortunate enough to see the world premiere of Samuel D. Hunter's LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Ensemble member Laurie Metcalf gave a tremendous performance as Sarah, because of course she did. Everyone in this small but mighty cast was wonderful, and the show was extended for 2 weeks.

The story and content was actually quite serious (family | death | illness | avoidance) despite the fact that I (and the full house on the Tues night I saw it) laughed frequently throughout the play. What is this witchcraft, Sam? How do you do that?! How do you infuse so much humor into a play with such hard-hitting drama?

The set by Scott Pask and lighting by Heather Gilbert were strikingly minimalist, and yet it didn't feel like anything was missing.

While the show has closed, I think this play will have a long life at theatres across the country. And maybe in 20+ years, my own nephew and I can play the auntie/nephew leads.

13/08/2024

LIVE TODAY!

Over four days you will hear four episodes making up the play "Faith, Trust &...", a film noir piece by Rachel Feeny-Williams. (https://newplayexchange.org/plays/2153099/faith-trust-and)

Episode 2 - https://TheatricalShenanigans.podbean.com/e/theatrical-shenanigans-special-faith-trust-episode-2/?token=8c49c44243076fce582e8b983b810087

For a quick reminder of the story so far, the play is set in the dark and dangerous city of Neverland, where Private Investigator Dt. JM Barry has been approached by Wendy Darling, a woman he's not seen in years, with a threatening note and some pink powder. As his investigation proceeds, he discovers this mystery goes further than he first thought, and now is linked to a murder!

Cast:
Dt. JM Barry - Darrin Ingram (https://www.darrin-ingram.com/)
Tiger Lilly - Jacquelyn Priskorn (www.jacquiefloyd.com)
Wendy Darling - Perdita Lawton (www.perditalawton.com)
Michael Darling - Jeff Priskorn (www.jeffpriskorn.com)
Hookie - Melissa Schmitz (https://101stageadaptations.buzzsprout.com/)
Nibs - Tony Targan (www.tonytargan.com)
Curley - Greg Bauhof (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-bauhof-2181767b/)

Hope you can join us and, as always, if you can, please Like/Follow/Support us! :-)

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07/07/2024

Tonight was another first! I attended my first show at iO Chicago. My friends and I saw Improvised Jane Austen, and OMG I can't wait to go back. 🩷🩷🩷

This hour-long improvised Austen play was performed by an ensemble of very talented actors. The play was called Vanity and Vulgar, per my suggestion of words that start with V. Non-stop laughter from the audience. Cheeky. Cheese-y (there was an ongoing bit about stinky cheese tonight 🧀). Highly enjoyable. And Re*****on looked just like Brenda Breyer - my companions and I had a whole conversation about that on the ride home. 😂🐴 Also - I loved the costumes. Are these clothes that belong to the actors? Do they switch them up from week to week? Everyone looked amazing.

Do yourself a favor and spend a Saturday or every Saturday seeing Improvised Jane Austen. My friend said it was some of the best improv comedy she's seen in Chicago, and I believe her! We had so much fun. Well done y'all.

06/07/2024

Run, don't walk to see THE LAST WIDE OPEN at American Blues Theater! I saw the first preview tonight, so you have many more chances to catch this show. This was my first ABT show and their first production in their new studio space! 🎉

Audrey Cefaly's charming musical play has been adapted by Katarzyna Müller to feature the Polish perspective of this immigrant story. (The original is Italian/English, and a Spanish/English version of the script is also available.) Chicago has one of the largest populations of Polish people outside of Poland, so it was very fitting that Chicago would premiere this version of the story.

This play is about love and parallel/alternate realities and settling and not settling and how tender moments can have a lasting impact.

American Blues' production was a delightful immersive experience. Audience members enter the theatre and find themselves in a Polish Chicago diner. The seating is cabaret style, with the tables matching those on the diner set. Major applause to the scenic designers Grant Sabin and Marcus Klein. I love a fully-fleshed out concept, and with Elyse Dolan's props and set dressing, all details were covered. Something about a fully decked-out set is so satisfying to me.

The pre-show features the Stage Hand, who is a server in this diner, passing around traditional Polish food skewered with toothpicks with the Polish flag. I had kielbasa, cheese, and a pickle. She said she would be back to clean up the toothpicks or we could keep them as souvenirs and wave them around. 😆🇵🇱 She also presented us with the "Specials" menu, which was a mini program, and explained it like a Specials menu. I so appreciated the commitment to the bit and really going all the way with the restaurant concept. The two talented leads are a married couple in real life, and everything about this show was completely charming and adorable. You'll be smiling the entire time.

01/07/2024

At Bramble Theatre shows, we wear purple! 💜

Sunday afternoon I caught the last performance of Bramble's 3rd Annual Festival of Unfinished Work. (Full disclosure: I am the head of marketing there. Yes, really.) We had a full and very enthusiastic house for the final performance. This Festival features 6 scenes from brand new plays. These scenes were brought to life, and audiences voted (by putting beans in a cup - ask me whose charming idea that was 😉) for which 2 plays should get further development workshops with Bramble.

The scenes were so fun and so different from one another. So. Much. Drama. A lot of dark comedy. And a great variety of scenes and opportunities for a diverse group of actors.

Since it was the last show, the winners were announced at the closing reception. Congratulations to Evalina Lakin and Karissa Murrell Myers who won further development opportunities with Bramble next spring! 🎉🎉🎉

Karissa and I have been bffs since grad school and we still cute!

Random appearance of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile across the street from the theatre.

29/06/2024

At Lauren Gunderson - Playwright premieres, we wear pink! 🩷

I was thrilled to see my friend Erin Lauer star in the Iowa premiere of ARTEMISIA at Dreamwell Theatre. She and I were theatre majors together at College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, and now she is the queen of community theatre in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City. What a powerful performance on opening night, friend! 💃🎭🎨

This play is about art, being a woman in the 17th century, the injustices they faced (and really a commentary on what we continue to face), being brave, love, loss, and how we carry on. And you get to see many of Artemisia's paintings projected on the wall throughout the play. The set design by Rachel Brown was very effective, and I of course noticed how the painted hands on the floor (from Artemisia's work) were arranged to resemble Michelangelo's Creation of Man. Kami Zbanek Hill's costumes had so much detail and texture I wanted to reach out and touch them.

I was fortunate enough to see the world premiere of ARTEMISIA last year in Madison, and last night I happily cheered on my girl Erin, who is one of the first people to ever play this role, and she is so great in it! If you are in Iowa, go see her this weekend at The James Theater!

This venue has a raccoon theme, and the stage door has a lovely explanation of raccoon symbolism. 🦝 Also, inside, the wallpaper is patterned in what looks like the cross-section of an orange. An interesting coincidence because of the citrus references in this feminist play and (ahem) what the cross-section of an orange looks like. 🍊👀

Also, I had no idea I would find my favorite cupcake store! I knew that Molly's Cupcakes is a small chain, and I always make a point to visit whenever I am in Chicago, but I was shocked and delighted to pass by Molly's Cupcakes Iowa City! Of course, I had to stop in!

Iowa City, you are a gem! With your eateries and public art and theatre scene, I will happily come back the next time Erin is starring in a show.

Break all the legs this weekend!

21/04/2024

The final show of my Chicago trip was PURPOSE by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Jacobs-Jenkins expertly weaves comedy into family drama with all the depth and heart and cringey situations you could ever hope for in one script. "Pregnant with Black History" is not a phrase I will soon forget! 😆

You know I love a set, and Todd Rosenthal once again delivers on this. Absolutely fabulous scenic design. Todd, do you design houses too, because I would like to live in this house. 🏠

Our Queen Phylicia Rashad directs the talented cast through all the turmoil, suspense, and excitement this 2 hr 50 min play requires. Bravi to all and congrats on the extension!

09/04/2024

Here are just a few of my favorite snaps from the weekend's open houses at the Bramble Arts Loft!

One of my jobs is as Chief Marketing Strategist for Bramble Theatre in Chicago, and this weekend, we opened a brand new performing arts space in Andersonville! 😱

It was a huge undertaking, but we did it! (If you saw a postcard or poster or QR code sign or email from Bramble, I made all of those!)

Pictured are a few of the people who made this a massive success including Karissa Murrell Myers, Matt Lunt, Suzy Krueckeberg, and James and Jill from SHOUT Marketing & Media Relations.

Check out some of the gorgeous shots of the space, and shout out to my friend Alex Mallory for stopping by!

Follow Bramble Theatre to see more of the action from this weekend and sign up for all of our upcoming events!