Introducing “A Cricket on the Hearth”

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I am very happy to say that I have completed a new play – a romantic comedy-drama, entitled “A Cricket On the Hearth” – based on Charles Dickens’s similarly named novella.

There are a few reasons why this work is unique for me…

Reason #1 is that I have never actually “adapted” another text before (if you exclude my play “The Beggar of Bethesda” as being an adaptation from the Bible) – although I say my play is “based on” the Dickens novella because I took the storyline and basically reconfigured it, changing many things, including names and locations, and not lifting a single bit of dialogue from Dickens in the process.

Reason #2 is that “Cricket” actually began as an idea for a musical, which I worked on with two great composers based out of the UK (way back in 2021/2022) – although after writing a script for it, with places for songs, the project dissipated and the script lay dormant – until, that is, a few weeks ago, when I thought “I really have to make this into a straight play because I love it so much!” – and voila.

A still from the 1909 (yes… 1909!) D. W. Griffith silent film adaptation of Dickens’s novella.

Set in a small village in New York’s Hudson Valley in 1840 (an obvious change from Dickens), “A Cricket on the Hearth” concerns the unlikely couple of John and Dot Plekkenpoel – John well into his 40’s, huge and lumbering, and Dot in her early 20’s, petite and perky – and yet, both happily married. In comes Ernest Tackleton, the finicky, greedy owner of a toy company – well into middle age – who is aiming to sweep up a poor, orphaned 20-year-old as his wife and convince her the age distinction is no true barrier. Hoping John and Dot will set a good example, Tackleton invites them to a luncheon with his betrothed, alongside a strange, cloaked man, who the kind-hearted John Plekkenpoel rescued from a snowstorm – but when Dot shows this stranger an equally strange degree of attention, it soon appears that John and Dot’s marriage is not as sweet as one might think.

At its core, “A Cricket On The Hearth” is a witty, tongue-in-cheek play – intermixed with poignant drama, colorful characters, charming repartee, and a glow of optimism – about the nature of true love and the sacrifices we are willing to make for that love.

While not by far his most popular work, Dickens wrote “Cricket” alongside other Christmas-themed works – the most famous of which is “A Christmas Carol” – and the novella has been adapted a few times for the big screen, starting from the silent movie error (twice – 1909 and 1923 – see the picture above!) and even in the 1960’s in a colorful, musical cartoon version.

What struck me most about the story is the central relationship of the two main characters (John and Dot) – while interestingly, most of the adaptations focus on the subplot of a toymaker and his blind daughter – but for me, “Cricket” makes for a true romantic comedy, being intelligent, subtle, and yet truly romantic, without stereotypical tropes or bland comedy.

You can check out the first 30-odd pages of the play here!

“Electra” premiering next year!

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I am beyond thrilled to announce that my drama “The Last Flight of the Electra” will be produced in 2025 by the theater company Theater23!

Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, Theater23 was founded only recently, in 2023 – by “recovering Californians” – and has been actively engaged over the last year to bring more theater to the Knoxville area, striving “to be a place for actors, directors, designers and artists to create instinctively, taking risks, challenging themselves, above all else, to entertain.”

Despite their newness on the theatrical scene, Theater23 is focused on producing new, intimate, thought-provoking plays – and indeed, in this climate, when fewer and fewer theaters are willing to “take risks” with new work, it’s very impressive and wonderful to see Theater23 stepping out proactively to incubate and support new theatrical works.

Last but not least, I would be amiss not to point out that Theater23 is helmed by playwright and director Tom Eubanks, with whom I had the pleasure of engaging a few years back when he was the Artistic Director of Elite Theatre Company in Oxnard, CA, which ultimately produced the world production of my award-winning historical drama “Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room.”

I should be learning more in short order as to when “Electra” will be produced – so stay tuned!

(This will be the first time a play of mine has been performed in Tennessee.)

Sensing “Flowers” in Kilkenny

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I don’t often post more personal information on my playwriting website, but this post combines the personal with the theatrical.

Recently, I had the pleasure of going to Ireland with my wife and our little littlest ones, and one of the places we stopped was the medieval city of Kilkenny, in southern(ish) Ireland.

The reason Kilkenny has such relevance for me is because it is the setting for my gothic, spiritual drama “A Flower of the Field”, which was loosely inspired by the writings of the monk John Clyn, who, during the height of the Black Death in the 14th century, wrote a historical chronicle of the pestilence (and indeed, “world” history – from Adam and Eve to his present day) in the still-existent abbey of St. Francis.

What a treat, therefore, to travel to Kilkenny on a day trip from Dublin and see (albeit, from afar – since it is being renovated) the ruins of the same St. Francis’s Abbey where my play takes place:

Not only that, but my play incorporates another figure from Kilkenny history, the noblewoman Alice Kyteler, who was accused of being a witch and fled the city, and who is remembered still in Kilkenny to this day:

I wrote “A Flower of the Field” without any knowledge of (or passion for) Kilkenny, per se – clobbering together disparate stories from the period of the Black Death, courtesy of the real John Clyn – and just happened to set the story in the very abbey that is still standing and incorporate the woman whose memory looms large in the city to this very day.

What a fun time… to see where my own play takes place!

Throwback Thursday – “It’s the End”

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On this Throwback Thursday, I want to high one of my favorite “music video” creations (courtesy of yours truly) from the opening number of the musical “The Burning of the White House.”

“The Burning of the White House” is by far my longest-nursed creative endeavor, which I have worked on with the great composer (and co-bookwriter) Norman Berman since early 2017.

Briefly, the musical tells the story of Paul Jennings, a house slave to James and Dolley Madison during the War of 1812 (which, contrary to its title, lasted from 1812-14) and specifically young Paul’s coming of age during the British capture and burning of Washington, DC in August of 1814.

Recruiting a wonderful cast, Norman organized a demo recording of the opening song (really, the opening scene – slightly truncated for the actual demo recording, but relatively intact) which takes place at the White House during one of Dolley Madison’s famous soirees – though, not too far away, the British are prowling the American coastline and threatening invasion.

You can check out more about “The Burning of the White House” here on our website!

A “Shhhh” bit of good news

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I am happy to say that one of my scripts has advanced to the semifinalist round in the 2024 national playwriting contest sponsored by the American Association for Community Theatre!

Since the script is still actively under consideration by the readers, I have been asked not to name it specifically until it has made its way through the full process, so… “shhhhh!”

Regardless, I’m thrilled by the news, as AACT is a well-regarded organization that brings together community theaters across the United States, helping community theaters to thrive “with expertise, assistance, networking, and support.”

For a trip down memory line, I myself was a theater leader at one point, founding and leading the group Speerhead Theatricals almost 10 years ago (time flies!) and leading it through two years of theatrical productions in New York and Connecticut – so I viscerally understand the challenges of the theater world and love what AACT does to support the arts in local communities.

A few other plays of mine have also been semifinalists or finalists in prior AACT contests, as well.

Throwback Thursday – “Hail and Reign”

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For this Throwback Thursday, I’m going to throw way back in time – to 2008! – back to my first produced show, as well as my first musical – the wonderful “Hail and Reign.”

For me, “Hail and Reign” was quite a labor of love – something I started writing myself around 2004, tweaked through 2005, and then found a great collaborator in composer Paul Lewis (based out of Bainbridge Island, WA) who wrote some beautiful music for the piece.

After a few years, “Hail and Reign” was given its world premiere product at Bainbridge Performing Arts on the aforementioned Bainbridge Island (which, for those who don’t know much about Washington state geography, is a quick ferry ride from Seattle).

Based on a true story from English medieval history about the battle for the throne between the well-meaning nobleman Stephen and the acerbic Matilda – a period in English history known as “The Anarchy” because of the chaos and devastation it caused – “Hail and Reign” is really a story about what we are willing to do for the people we love.

In this great end-of-Act-One song (one of my favorite songs from any of my musicals), the Chronicler (who has been narrating the storry to us) encourages Matty, the wife of Stephen, King of England, who, having snatched the throne from the rightful heir – the loud and obnoxious Matilda – has been defeated in battle and imprisoned – and while Matty sees her husband’s cause in tatters, the Chronicler, a young boy named Will (who Stephen rescued from death), and the surrounding crowd challenge the reluctant Matty to lead Stephen’s cause in his absence.

Matty being encouraged to take the lead by the Chronicler, Will, and Stephen’s supporters.

You can listen to more songs from the show here!

Throwback Thursday – “Hello World”

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For this Throwback Thursday, I will highlight one of my musicals which has not seen (at least not yet!) the light of day and yet has probably the most tuneful score of any musical of which I’ve had the pleasure of being a part.

Of course, I cannot take credit for the tunefulness, because that goes to the composer with whom I collaborated on the show – the supremely talented Paul Robert Barstch (1944-2016) – who unfortunately died some years back, but who was a great, talented friend and someone who, if he had a bit more exposure, could have had his name in lights on Broadway.

Through the miracle of cyber collaboration, I ended up “meeting” Paul on a musical forum online and I proposed that we work together on “Hello World”, which is a tongue-in-cheek adaption of the Greek myth of Pandora – who, in a very Eve-like way, opened up a forbidden box/vase and let “The Furies” out into the world, creating all sorts of sin and devastation.

In the show, one of the best songs is the title song, which Pandora sings when she is first created by the chief god Zeus and is examining the wonders of this new world around her with childlike awe – and for those who have an appreciation for classical Broadway, the song has a wonderfully tuneful feel that would have played terribly well on Broadway, circa 1965.

I will give you two versions…

A longer version, sung by a wonderful singer who is shamelessly unknown to me after the passage of a decade:

A slightly shorter (original) version, which is sung by yours truly as part of the first recorded piano demo of the score:

You can hear more of my piano demo from “Hello World” here!

“Electra” among the top 2.5% of scripts

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I am honored to report that my play “The Last Flight of the Electra” has received its second recognition in a month as a semifinalist in 2024 FutureFest, a new play contest sponsored by Dayton Playhouse of Dayton, Ohio!

Dayton Playhouse is a well-regarded community theatre founded in 1962 that provides outstanding theatrical productions to the Miami Valley area of Ohio and is the only theater in its vicinity to operate on a 12-month schedule.

Alongside its theatrical credentials, Dayton has become well-known for FutureFest, its annual festival of new and unproduced plays that started back in 1991, making it one of the longest-running new play festivals in the United States and a great incubator for new theatrical work.

Not only am I thrilled to be recognized as a semifinalist in such a well-known and well-respected contest, but there were over 470 script submissions entered this year alone, putting my script in the top 2.5% of all submitted scripts and making it one of the more selective contests in which any of my plays have been recognized. (Yes, I bothered to calculate the exact percentage!)

I sincerely wish Dayton Playhouse the best for the remainder of their festival and, again, am thrilled for “Electra’s” double recognition this April!

Some great demo session photos!

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It’s been a long time in coming, but my collaborator Norman Berman and I have been working hard on our epic new musical “The Burning of the White House” – a (semi-)true story about Paul Jennings, the young house slave at the White House during the presidency of James Madison, who, through the struggles and turmoil surrounding the British invasion and burning of Washington, DC in the War of 1812, reaches manhood and appreciates his deserved place in the world.

Many thanks to Norman, we have had some wonderful demo sessions done for some of our songs for this great production with some of the best singers you can imagine.

While I have collected these songs here, I wanted to share some photos from some of our recent recording sessions for these songs and acknowledge the great talent involved.

Many thanks, as well, to Clear Lake Recording Studios in North Hollywood, CA, which provided the venue for all the recording sessions.

My collaborator, Norman Berman (second from left), with, starting to his left, Joshua Finkel, Tonoccus McClain, and Dink O’Neal, recording the opening song “It’s the End”.
Norman with Tonoccus McClain, Frederika Meek, and Maiya Sykes recording the Act 1 finale “Escape from the White House.”
Lisa Vroman, Olly Sholotan, Shabnam Kalbasi, and Alvin Shea recording the fun number “Give ‘Em A Kick.”
Alvin Shea and Tonoccus McClain recording the wonderful ballad “Here I Is.”

You can listen to some of our great demos below!

“Electra” in the top 10% of scripts

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I am thrilled to report that my drama “The Last Flight of the Electra” was recognized as a finalist in the 2024 New Play Contest sponsored by Valley Players of Napa Valley, California.

The Valley Players had well over 200 submissions to their New Play Contest and my script was recognized among the top 10% of all entries, which is a great honor.

Even more to the point, it’s so encouraging to see groups like The Valley Players providing opportunities for new playwrights and their work! In the post-COVID world, it’s even harder to come by theaters that will recognize new plays, especially smaller theaters, so Valley Players deserves tremendous kudos for promoting opportunities for new playwrights to see their work performed.

Not only that, but my “finalist” badge is none too shabby, as well:

Many thanks to Artistic Director June Alane Raif and Valley Players for this honor!