So there I am in St. Thomas, as one is want to do in January, leafing through a tourist guide book. I'm reading about the best places to get a Rolex, a brief history of the Virgin Islands, and then I get to the calendar of events. And here's what I see. December 18 - 20 Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge. What!? I don't know if I'm more excited to have a production in St. Thomas or that I made it [...]
Ocean State Theatre Hits 80 Days Out of the Park The good folks at Ocean State Theatre are killing it with their production of Around the World in 80 Days. “Mark Brown’s ingenious adaptation of the Jules Verne novel for the stage is a delight on stage in Warwick!” Ingenious? I like this reviewer already. My good friend Minita Gandhi is playing Aouda. This is her second time around with the show. A two-timer, as I like to call her. She [...]
I'm Heading to the Tahlequah Community Playhouse In two weeks I'll be heading to Tahlequah, OK to the Tahlequah Community Playhouse for its production of Around the World in 80 Days. Last year the theatre produced The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge and the people running the theatre are foolhardy enough to do another one of my shows. When I was at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, AR last November for the opening of its production of Around the World in 80 Days, some people from Tahlequah [...]
The Season for The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge Now that Halloween has come and gone, it's time to turn our attention to the ultimate holiday season of the year. That time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. And what better way to celebrate that glorious time than with a copy of my play The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge. Start a new tradition by gathering the family by the fireplace and reading the play out loud. Your family will delight [...]
Around the World in 80 Days Party Well the idea my friend Sharone and I came up with about having a big party for everyone who has ever done Around the World in 80 Days has certainly gotten a great response. I suppose it's never too early to get things rolling. So I think we should start collecting names and email contact info. If you're interested in this shindig, send your name, contact info, and what production you did to [...]
China's Five Year Plan Video is a Trip to 1973 How do you make China’s 13th five-year plan, a far too dense document laying out the country’s future economic strategy from 2015-2020, appeal to the masses? Make a crazy ass video that's the love child of Schoolhouse Rock and Joseph Goebbels. “If you wanna know what China’s gonna do, best pay attention to the shí sān wǔ.” Shí sān wǔ are the Chinese words for "13-five." So you better pay attention to it, man. [...]
Marcus Choi and Evil is a Yellow Face Jon Jon Briones and Marcus Choi If there's one thing Broadway performers like doing more than singing in a Broadway musical, it's singing the night away with other Broadway performers on a Monday night. Stroll over to Joe's Pub any Monday night and there's probably some sort of benefit going on with Broadway performers. In fact, my friend Sharone Tannenbaum just produced Artists for World Peace on Broadway at Joe's Pub. Now [...]
Around the World in 80 Days at Kelsey Theatre Hey everyone in my hometown of Pennington, NJ, no plans for the weekend? Go see my play Around the World in 80 Days at the Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College. Already have plans for the weekend? Cancel them. Go see my play Around the World in 80 Days at the Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College. Maurer Productions has put together a slam [...]
Around the World in 80 Days at Kelsey Theatre Evidently the newly added Nudist Colony scene. Two weeks ago my play Tom Jones opened at Butler College in Kansas. (I made a quick trip there to meet everyone). This week Maurer Productions opened my play Around the World in 80 Days at the Kelsey Theatre located at Mercer County Community College. I have a great fondness for the Kelsey Theatre. It's a stone's throw from where I grew up. When [...]
You can own my childhood home. That's right. Buy my childhood home and turn it into a Graceland or Hearst Estate. My house embodies the American Dream. A small town boy with a dream in his heart who changed the world of theatre. For all my fans, my house will be the ultimate pilgrimage. Here's what you'll get. ↑ This classic mid-century charmer was purchased in 1964 by my parents. There wasn't a single tree on the property. My dad went to [...]
