I wrote this piece about upcoming plays for The Gainesville Sun.
Pondering life’s imponderables:
If you are forced to walk the plank in outer space, can anybody hear you scream?
Does “I” still come before “E” except after “C” if there’s a juice box at stake?
And must history be forever doomed to repeat itself because we’re not paying attention at the theater?
For the answers to these and other imponderables about life, the universe and everything, you might want to check out the new plays opening in Gainesville theaters over the next few weeks.
On May 24 the Gainesville Community Playhouse will present an out-of-this-world version of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s classic adventure story “Treasure Island.”
Then, on May 31, the Hippodrome’s annual end-of-season musical extravaganza kicks off with “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
And on June 7, the Acrosstown Repertory Theater closes its season with “Cabaret,” a musical cautionary tale that seems surprisingly relevant in these times we find ourselves.
Here’s a recap:
Gainesville Community Playhouse: “Treasure Island,” May 24-June 9:
We all know the story. Young Jim Hawkins is kidnapped and spirited away by pirates in search of buried treasure. It’s been the stuff of books, of movies…and now a play adaptation by Ken Ludwig.
Sandra Wilcox, director of this GCP production, has been enamored of pirates since she was a girl. “As soon as I was old enough to read “Treasure Island” I fell in love with the book,” she said. “I really wanted to put it on stage.”
But, seriously, anybody can stick Long John Silver, Billy Bones and the rest of this mutinous crew on a square rigger bound for a mysterious tropical island. It’s been done and done.
So how about a change of venue?
“The tale is so timeless that it can actually can take place anywhere and at any time,” Wilcox said. “I’m also fascinated by science fiction and fantasy, So we decided to tell this classic tale in a different way. We set it in the future and in space, and took it in little different direction.”
“Yo, ho, ho and a Rodian Splice!” (Sly “Star Wars” reference.)
For showing times and ticket prices see CGP’s web page.
The Hippodrome: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” May 31-July 21.
“It’s hysterical,” says director Stephanie Lynge. “It’s set at a regional championship for middle schoolers, and it’s centered on the six kids who are competing. We all remember what it was like to be 11, 12, 13 and trying to navigate life.”
Don’t be fooled by its title, this particular spelling bee doesn’t really take place in the county right next door. Rather this Tony award winning play, unfolds in “a geographically ambiguous” Putnam Valley Middle School.
“It’s like the Simpson’s Springfield,” says Lynge, “It’s anywhere you want it to be.”
Lange says “a large element of this musical is improvisation. Not only are the kids competing but we get volunteers from the audience as well. And if the volunteers don’t spell the word correctly, they get a juice box, as does anybody else who fails.”
Suffice it to say that, between juice boxes these young strivers will belt out such memorable songs as “My friend, the dictionary,” “I’m not that smart,” “Woe is me,” and, not to forget, everybody’s favorite toe tapper “My unfortunate erection.”
For show times and ticket information see The Hipp’s web page.
Acrosstown Repertory Theater: Cabaret, June 7-23.
Berlin, 1929. The Weimar Republic is dying, the Jazz Age is cooking and the nazis are on the rise. And for an eclectic group of performers, free thinkers and homosexuals the Kit Kat Klub is a final refuge against the coming storm.
And make no mistake. Deciding to reprise “Cabaret” ahead of an election that promises to be the most divisive in American history was no matter of chance.
“It’s unfortunate how timely the topics in this play still are,” said director Andrea Young. “We wanted to remind everyone that sitting by and doing nothing can often contribute to the downfall of a society. While we all like to think that maybe the bad things that are happening will pass, and our little world won’t be affected, we’re all impacted by what goes on politically.”
“Cabaret” has a cast of 15 performers, which may make for “a fairly tight squeeze” in the ART’s decidedly small theater.
On the other hand, the Kit Kat Klub was notorious for its smoky air, dim lighting and claustrophobic spaces. So it should fit in perfectly.
For show times and ticket prices see the ART’s web page.
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