Springfield Contemporary Theatre Opens Around the World in 80 Days

My ever faithful Google alert tells me that Springfield Contemporary Theatre in Springfield, MO opened their season last week with Around the World in 80 Days. Woot.

Springfield Contemporary Theatre Artistic Director Rick Dines directed the production. The show stars Ron Seney, Bryant Turnage, Cameron Carlton, Patrick Schuster, and Adie Williams.

Rick said some very nice things about the script and me in an interview he did with KSMU. KSMU – Shizzin’ the public radio scene in the Queen City of the Ozarks for 40-years.

I have to send Rick a thank you gift for saying the script is “highly literate, and one of the most honestly accurate adaptations of the book.” There’s a pet rock in his future.

I had forgotten about this quote from the NY Times: Mark Brown’s adaptation is “smart enough to make sophisticated adults laugh out loud and shamelessly silly enough to keep children in the audience interested and entertained.”

I like that quote because I subscribe to the Bugs Bunny school of writing: “make it smart, make it silly, make it funny.” It’s rewarding to see someone get what I’m trying to do. And it doesn’t hurt that the someone writes for The Gray Lady.

And finally, this could be my favorite quote from the KSMU interview. It’s from Ron Seney, who plays Detective Fix: “These characters, very simply on the lines, there’s not too much there.” Um…thanks?

The details of Around the World in 80 Days at the Springfield Contemporary Theatre

NOVEMBER 21–23, 28–30, DECEMBER 5–6, 12–14, 2014, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM & Sundays at 2:00 PM.

Ticket info at Springfield Contemporary Theatre.

Thank You

Thank you to Rick Dines and everyone at the Springfield Contemporary Theatre for producing one of my scripts. It really means a lot to me.