From left to right:
The first positive review for my historical farce “Philosophus” has been published by MD Theatre Guide by Susan Brall!
According to Ms Brall: The script is a cross between Mel Brooks (“Young Frankenstein”) and the Marx Brothers (“Duck’s Soup”). If you love the ridiculous and lots of double entendres, you will have a good time at this production.
…and yep, that about sums it up!
Check out the full review here!
My historical farce “Philosophus” opened last night at Best Medicine! Rep -what a great time!
I was very impressed with Best Medicine’s great theater space on the second floor of Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, MD. It’s a true storefront theater. The location itself (which used to be a toy store) is quite large, fronted by a reception area, followed by a lovely lounge (some great artwork on the walls, courtesy of one of the theater company’s board members) and, in the back, the actual theater space. What a great job John Morogiello (Artistic Director) and his crew have done with the space! Best Medicine read “Philosophus” in November of 2017 in a tiny community room of the mall… and now, just a little over a year later, the theater group has its own theater space, over four full productions to its credit, and has hosted numerous other events from nearby theater groups!
In terms of the show, I was very impressed by the hilarious shtick of the actors and the wonderful directing by Stan Levin. Stan directed the staged reading of “Philosophus” in late 2017 – and almost all the actors in this production were involved also in that reading – so, knowing how impressed I was with the reading back then, I knew I was in for a treat last night. The actors didn’t disappoint: Terence Aselford was charmingly pompous as “Voltaire”, John Morogiello was wonderfully petty and tyrannical as the blustery “Baron von Freytag”, Rebecca A. Herron was terrifyingly domineering as “Frau Schmidt”, Terence Heffernan was wonderfully elastic as he jumped back and forth between Italian “Collini” and Prussian “Dorn” (literally, too – jumping around the stage like a five-year-old), and Khaleshia Thorpe-Price was subtly seductive as “Mademoiselle Denis.”
ALSO… many thanks to Elizabeth Kemmerer for the costumes and John Morogiello for the set!
Looking forward to seeing the show a few more times!
Another preview article for my historical farce “Philosophus” has been published in CultureSpotMC by author Lisa Cline.
CultureSpotMC is a news website focusing on community news for Montgomery County, Maryland.
Ms. Cline interviewed John Morogiello, Artistic Director of Best Medicine Repertory Theater (and actor in the show), Stan Levin, director of “Philosophus”, and yours truly.
The following is an excerpt of my answers to two of the author’s questions:
How do you know if what you find funny will “play” on stage to a diverse group?
Speer Crowley: One of the things I consciously tried to do with “Philosophus” is make the comedy very broad, rather than fitting a certain set type. I didn’t intend it just to be a Wildean parlor play filled purely with witty dialogue but little physical action, nor did I want it to be all Keystone Kops. I wanted to give the play a little bit of everything: some Oscar Wilde, some Benny Hill, some “Book of Mormon,” some Kaufman and Hart, all while throwing in some farce and even reaching back into burlesque/vaudeville. I think there’s something for everyone in the story, and it gives the actors a lot to work with.
When did you write “Philosophus” and what was your inspiration?
Speer Crowley: I wrote “Philosophus” in late, late 2015 and it was probably the quickest thing I’ve ever written. I (mostly) wrote it in between commuting to New York City (I live in Connecticut) over the course of two weeks.
The actual idea, I confess, predates that by about, oh…20 years. I came up with the idea of “Philosophus” when I was about 13 or 14 because I loved historical biographies and discovered the story through reading a book on Voltaire. I thought it was a great basis for a comedy because the entire affair was (almost) as comical and silly as the events in the play. (The shell of the story and the characters are all real, but most of the specifics are invented.)
I wrote a version of “Philosophus” way back then (unfit for human eyes, although I may let a dog look at it) and then decided to revisit the topic years later. I just had success with another comedic play which led me to reconsider doing more comedic work. I had never done a purely comedic play, so I thought this would be as good a time as any, and I continued to love the historical setting and the colorful, comic operetta-like characters.
Many thanks to Ms. Cline for her great article – which you can read in full here!
Since Best Medicine Rep is full-on into the run of my show “Philosophus,” I thought I would re-share this little video blurb I did for them for the November, 2017 reading of the show.
If you haven’t gotten a chance to see “Philosophus” at Best Medicine Repertory Theater, now’s your chance!
Performances are $25/ticket – Friday at 7:00pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 7:00pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm.
Click here for tickets!
I have learned that my historical drama “Shadows of Men” was a quarterfinalist in a prestigious, selective new play competition sponsored by Southwestern Theatre Productions of Austin, Texas.
“Shadows of Men” tells the story of novelist John Dos Passos and his obsessive search for a vanished friend during the chaos and tragedy surrounding the Spanish Civil War.
Many thanks to Southwest Theatre Productions for the nod!
I am very, very pleased to announce that my historical tragicomedy “Encore, Encore” is a finalist for the prestigious Playfest Santa Barbara.
Playfest Santa Barbara is one of the more prestigious new play contests in the country. The California-based festival is “dedicated to the discovery and development of new plays, musicals and audiences.” It aims to “create a haven for diverse artists to develop and celebrate classic and new literary and musical works from conception to completion.”
“Encore, Encore” has previously received some developmental work. It was workshopped by The Gallery Players of Brooklyn, New York and given some wonderful university productions by Northern Kentucky University and Southeastern Louisiana University. I have put the show on the backburner as of late and am looking to reignite it… so what great timing!
Many thanks to Playfest Santa Barbara for this honor!
My historical drama “Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room” is being given a staged reading by Theatre40, an award-winning, Beverly Hills theater company.
Coincidentally, “Fifteen Men” was given a world premiere production by Elite Theatre Company in August-September of last year in nearby Ventura County.
If you’re in the area, come by and take a peek!
The Montgomery County Sentinel – the key newspaper of Montgomery County, Maryland – has a great article on the upcoming regional premiere of my historical farce “Philosophus” by Best Medicine Repertory Theater.
A few days earlier, I spoke with the article’s author, Barbara Trainin Blank, who, in her own right, is a well-regarded writer from the area who “has been writing features, previews, and reviews about theater and the arts for some 25 years.”
“Playwright devises screwball comedy out of the life of Voltaire”
If you’re interested in reading the article, you can check it out above.