TITO's ghouls with a twist .... mmmmmmm, tasty

Okay, admit it: You've gotten a little spoiled, haven't you? Getting to see all those cool shows without spending a penny, like you're some kind of hotshot critic, or arts writer or something. Well, you're gonna have to dig into your wallet this time and cough up five bucks if you want to experience Theater in the Open's Haunted Trail, a one-hour walk through the Maudslay State Park, and exercise. we hear, is supposed to be a good thing. And when you're out on the trail, you'll see eerie vignettes, spooky sketches and get a good haunting — all in the autumn grandeur of Maudslay State Park. Besides, a fiver? It's nothing. Especially seeing how so many of you have enjoyed an exceptional season, with productions like "The Flies" and "Grimm, or the Uses of Enchantment," for nothing. Well, dude, even free shows always have a price tag. Someone has to pay the bill, and the Halloween show has been vehicle that brings in the money to pay for, at least partially, next year's coming attractions.

Expect old favorites, like the Monster Mash and Scary Clowns with a twist, but expect to laugh while you've getting spooked. That's from the press release. Personally we've always thought the phrase scary clown is redundant. They're scary and evil. And the only way to consume them is with a twist. Mmmmmmm, scary clown. But don't expect to be scared out of your wits or grossed out by clowny drinks. "We're family friendly," says TITO artistic director Edward Speck, who made his Theater in the Open debut in a Haunted Trail take on Hansel and Gretel when he was 14 years old. "I really miss performing in it now that I'm supervising, it's that much fun," he says. "We are not the blood and gore of Spooky World. We look to entertain as well as scare, and we expect easily as many laughs as chills." The skits are designed to appeal to all ages, and don't worry, smaller children will be provided with Magic Acorns to ward away the creepiest clowns — um, I mean monsters.

The Trail runs from 2 to 4 p.m. October 22 and 23 at Maudslay State Park. Tickets are $5. The state grabs two bucks for parking in the lot. Allow for a brief walk from the parking lot and follow the Frankenstein flags. Kids age 3 and under get in for free. Raindates are October 29 and 30.

For more information, check out the theaterintheopen.org or call 978.465.2572. You can look at a map here.

Ron Pullins and the chocolately goodness of theater

After hearing that Ron Pullins was going to the fudge festival, we thought, "Mmmmmm, fudge!" and started brainstorming ideas to weasel our way in for free. But it turns out the festival has nothing to do with actual chocolate. D'oh! Well, almost nothing. Turns out that ”fudge” is actually an acronym. Seriously. Stands for "friends united developing genuine entertainment." But upon further investigation, we discovered the sweet, sweet connection: When the company came together in Wakefield more than a decade ago, the organizers had lots of big ideas, but could not come up with a name to save their lives. Story goes that someone came into the room with a plate of freshly baked fudge. Delicious, melt-in-your-mouth fudge, presumably without nuts because that would ruin the whole fantasy. And she asked, sans acronym, “how about some fudge?” The bleary-eyed creative team jumped on it, then came up with the acronymic justification. A couple of years ago, the company launched a festival of short plays, and that’s where Port playwright Pullins comes in. They’ll be staging “Pico,” a 10-minute play that was actually a study for "Woman. Bicycle,” a Pullins production that had its first reading this month at the North Shore Readers Theater Collaborative. The title character is the sprite who shows up at a bar and … well, let’s just say it has almost nothing to do with fudge. It turns out to be a play within a play within a play — “not easy to do in 10 minutes,” says Pullins, who owns Focus Publishing, which specializes in classical Greek and Roman drama as well as textbooks. The play had its first reading earlier this year at the Small Theatre Alliance of Boston’s Open Mic for Playwrights, with Ian Thal, artistic director of Teatro Delle Maschere and a playwright specializing in commedia dell’arte, reading the Pico character. It will be directed by Dan Bourke. It will be staged May 2 and 3 at the New Rep in Watertown. Should be a treat. For more information, check out F.U.D.G.E. or Pullins online.

Casting about for 'Forbidden Newburyport'

Three months out and there's already a buzz about this show, even among those of us who think musical theater is a form of torture as despicable as waterboarding. And why not? Because this show, being a musical, will have a full slate of irritatingly catchy tunes about our favorite subject, us, and our town. That’s right. Suzanne Bryan’s gonna tell you a big fat story, baby, all about our town. Yeah, down by the river, down by the banks of the River Merrimack. And, even better, it’s forbidden. And lightly seasoned with Rain Forest goodness. Just imagine the story of old, weird Newburyport sung to a Broadway melody. That’s what "Forbidden Newburyport” will be like. It’s a satirical musical revue with 15 big, splashy Broadway tunes that have been spun to parody Port icons, institutions, and um, issues. 

The season: Tell 100 of your closest friends

It’s gonna be a free-for-all at Maudslay State Park this year with the announcement that Theater in the Open will be staging all of its “in the open” shows gratis, a move that underlines the company’s belief that art is a necessity, not a luxury, and that everyone needs to get a little more into their system — and,  perhaps, coax the more people into the park, or encourage them to stop and see what’s happening if they stumble across a play while walking around the park. Here is the schedule:

SPRING
The Spring Thaw: An evening of thought-provoking theater and a showcase of local talent. Several guest artists and Theater in the Open regulars will perform April 28 at the Firehouse. Tickets are $25. This is a major fundraiser to help finance the free season. Info: 978.462.7336.

Pinocchio: A Playful Puppet Panto: TITO’s second plunge into the panto: a storytelling form, derived from ancient Italian improvisational shows and refined in 18th century Britain, which features song, dance, buffoonery, slap-stick and audience participation. What happens to old big nose as he journeys through the zany world of panto? What crazy characters will he meet along the way? Shows are 2 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, June 4-26. Free.

Family Hour in the Open: Storytelling, song, dance, fairy tales and group activity, 11 a.m. the third Saturday of every warm month at 11 a.m. May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug. 20 and Sept. 11 at Maudslay. Follow the flags from the parking lot. Free.

SUMMER
Summer Arts Workshop: Theater and visual arts workshops for youths between the ages of 6 and 16. Three two-week sessions for young people ages 6 to 12. Also a six-week performance workshop that ends with a  full-scale production. For adolescents between the ages of 13 and 16, there’s a four-week production workshop. Session I: July 5th-July 15th, Session II: July 18th- July 29th , Session III August 8th –August 19th. Performance Class July 5th- August 19th, Teen Intensive Workshop July 5th- July 29th .

The Flies by Jean-Paul Sartre: Veteran director Stephen Haley taps into Theater the Open’s unique storytelling traditions in presenting Jean-Paul Sartre’s interpretation of the classic Greek tragedy Elektra. Themes of filial duty, vengeance and redemption combine to create a powerful theater experience. Showtimes 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, July 23-Aug. 14. Free.

FALL
Grimm by Gregory S. Moss: An original adaptation of the Grimm Brother’s classic fairy tales, will draw on the natural magic of Maudslay State Park and the talents of Gregory S. Moss, who will be writing the original script. The classic fairy tales will come to life in unexpected ways. Shows are 2 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 17-Oct. 2. Follow the flags from the parking lot. Free.

Maudslay is Haunted:  Theater in the Open's  annual haunting. Eerie vignettes, spooky sketches and an all-around haunting during a one-hour walk through Maudslay State Park. This is a family event intended for all ages. Shows are 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 22-23. Rain dates are Oct. 29 and 30  Tickets: $5, children 3 and under are free. Follow the Frankenstein signs. 

WINTER
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play: A  twist on the holiday classic, “It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Show” is based on the beloved Frank Capra film but done in the style of "the golden age of radio,” complete with sound effect foley artists, singing sponsors and old-fashioned holiday spirit. Shows are Dec. 15-23 at the Firehouse.

Weekend: The Argument continues in NYC

Yeah, sure. It’s a long haul, you’ll get no argument here, but the Big Apple is the only place you’ll get an argument from Port playwright Gregory S. Moss. Well, not “an” argument, but “The Argument.” The play, originally produced at The Hangar Theater almost four years ago as part of director Kerry Whigham’s Drama League Fellowship — and, not long after, enjoyed a successful run at the Firehouse in a stunning Stephen Haley production, is the story of life, death and regret in post-Katrina New Orleans, although the hurricane is never mentioned by name. The story is non-literal, a funny, grotesque, apocalyptic fairy tale conceived as a response to the disaster. It addresses the issues raised, and still unresolved, and rapidly fading from the public consciousness, without directly invoking the actual events: Two young Chinese twin sisters inherit a Big Easy watering hole, a business that has consumed their  lives. One sister wants to sell the business, to leave, to live. The other believes it's their "duty" to carry on. This is the argument, which ends when flood waters claim the life of one sister. The surviving sister then begins a quest to give the life unlived by the dead sister back to her.

 

Attic Theater Company, a collective focusing on the work of contemporary playwrights, brings the new production to the stage this weekend at another former firehouse — DCTV, a Manhattan landmark, with Whigham at the helm again. The cast includes John Albano, Brooke Bundy, Sara Bues, Ted Caine, Nick Choksi, Eric Clem, Andrea Dionne, Michael Eisenstein, Sam Gooley, Monica Hammond, Krista Hasinger, Harrison Hill, Sarah Kohl, Sarah Montgomery, Claire Natale, Kevin O'Callaghan, Mallory Portnoy, Stephen Stocking. The show runs March 4 to 13. Moss, who seems to be leading a vagabond existence, bouncing from city to city for productions of his work, which is grabbing some rave reviews. His “punkplay,” a play inspired by the purple-hair kids hanging around the Inn Street fountain,  was described as “brilliantly funny dissection of adolescent grasping for identity” by Time Out Chicago. His “Orange, Hat and Grace,” recently staged at Soho Rep, “works its way into the creases of your soul, conjuring influences as disparate as Pygmalion and Beckett and Shepard,” says  New York Magazine ... Wow, We like him, too, man.

JUST THE FACTS, MAN: The Attic Theater Company will stage Gregory S. Moss's "The Argument"  at 8 p.m. March 4-6 and March 10-13, at DCTV,  87 Lafayette St., New York. The theater is located between Canal and White streets, Tickets are $18, or $5 for students. For more information, check out the Attic web.

Will time make man more wise?

Now, fresh from the warped minds that brought you "The Reindeer Monologues," an hilariously disturbed look at the holiday season, comes something, well, a little more refined. Here's a hint: The life of the wife is ended by the knife. No, wait a minute, that's Stewie trying to work through his matricidal fantasies while passing off a guttersnipe as a lady in the Family Guy's Reindeer-like take on "My Fair Lady," which was adapted from Shaw's "Pygmalion." Which Neptune Sushi, a New Hampshire-based film and theater company, drags kicking and screaming, but thankfully not singing, into the 21st Century in "The Shapes of Things."  A modern drama set at a small California liberal arts college, the play follows the lives of four twenty-something students, focusing on the psychology and intimacy surrounding the nature of art and the limits of the human will. The production stars  Marc Pelletier, Audrey Claire Johnson, Greg White and Gina Kattar. Aaron Foss directs. It runs at 8 p.m. July 9 and 10, and at 3 p.m. July 10 and 11 at The Actors Studio, Mill 1, Suite 5, the Tannery, 50 Water St. Tickets are $12 general admission and $10 for students and seniors. There is a special $8 admission for students and seniors for the Sunday show only. For more information, log onto http://www.neptunesushi.com or email info@neptunesushi.com. And, in case you didn't catch the reference, the headline is a lyric from the old Yardbirds song "Shapes of Things." Got nothing to do with the show. Great song though. Like the Bowie cover on Pin Ups better. Been stuck in my head since getting the release. Anyhow ...

Chairy, chairy baby

The business of the arts (besides the art itself, of course) is getting seats into the seats, but that's not what's going on with those crazy kids at the Actors Studio. They're trying get seats, fifty of them, for people to put their seats into. New chairs, comfy chairs. Which turns out to be  a surprisingly expensive proposition and one that presents an opportunity for those of you with disposable income (whatever that is) to if not see your name up in lights then at least see it in the theater. On a plaque on the chair in front of you. Or you could think of it as a reserved chair. Hey, it will have your name on it. You'll have ignore the inconvenient truth that there will be other seats in "your" seat when you're not there. It'll cost you a hundred bucks, but, seriously, you can't put a price tag on the warm feeling you get from helping out an arts group that gives a voice to emerging artists and local voices. And when you donate the hundred bucks, somebody else, an anonymous donor, will pony up about hundred so you will be doubling your pleasure — everyone's pleasure, really, since the new chairs will be so comfy so your seat won't get numb, and even if it does there won't be any of that creaking when you shift your weight. Everyone's a winner. So, if you've got any of that disposable income stuff and wanna help out, whip out the old checkbook and make out a tax-deductible check to the Actors Studio.  Tell them the name you want on the plaque. Heck, they're even planning an appreciation night for you. Want more information? Check out the Actors Studio web or call 978.465.1229. And, by the way, those seats in the picture aren't the specific seats. They're just for illustration purposes only.

A new view of Cinderella

No, this is not the beloved Disney schmaltz we all grew up with, not in style or substance. This is Cinderella through the looking glass, to mix children's classics metaphors. It's Cinderella as panto, a storytelling style that mixes Commedia dell'Arte with a bit of British vaudeville — a raucous theatrical goulash that features song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick and, yikes, audience participation. And, yes, the Theater in the Open production of "Cinderella: A Pretty Princess Panto," which runs through June 27 at Maudslay State Park, is packed with silly and timely modern references, everything from BP's horror show in the Gulf to Beyonce. Whoever she is. It also has some very significant, imaginative and, well, zany departures from the usual thing.

Like ...? Okay, since you asked, here are the Top Five:

1. 

The Wicked Stepmother (Wicky for short) is not mean at all and is played by a man.



2. Cinderella has to find the lost prince, instead of the other way around.



3. Cinderella and the Prince are very concerned about global warming and work together to fight it.

4.

The villains are taken from other stories, Malificent from "Sleeping Beauty," Ursula from "The Little Mermaid," and Cruella DeVille from "101 Dalmatians."

5. 

The cast includes a giraffe who is always showing up at the strangest times and could, quite possibly, save the day.

JUST THE FACTS, MAN: "Cinderella: A Pretty Princess Panto" runs Saturday and Sunday through June 27 at Maudslay State Park. Follow the flags from the main parking lot. Allow 10 minutes to reach the site. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and free for kids age 3 or younger. The June 5 show is free for all. For directions, click here. For more information, call 978-465-2572 or log onto http://theaterintheopen.org