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My school just got a new drama club advisor, and he's dead set on doing Shakespeare. That wouldn't be a bad thing, except that we did Twelth Night for our fall production this year, and there's no way kids at my school will go to see Shakespeare two years in a row. It was hard enough trying to get them to go the first time around. (Traditionally we've done a Shakespeare play every four years so that everyone can have the chance to be in one.)
The advisor says he'll look at any scripts we get him, but it's going to have to something really good. What we want for next year is a comedy. We did All in the Timing a couple of years ago, and we want something similar to that. There are also people who want to do a musical, but after doing Guys and Dolls for our spring production, we techies want something with a few less props and sets.
So basically we want anything that's funny, or a "small musical" if one exists. Does anyone know of anything that fits the description?
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But it isn't my fault; I was given those beans! You persuaded me to trade away my cow for beans! And without those beans, there'd've been no stalk to get up to the giant in the first place!
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Musicals: "The Boyfriend" "Little Shop of Horrors"
Plays: "You Can't Take It with You" (a FABULOUS comedy by Kaufmann and Hart that has quite a few fun quirky roles) "The Miracle Worker" (it's not exactly a drama, and it is quite funny) by William Gibson "The Clumsy Custard Horror Show." Think "Rocky Horror Picture Show" meets "Princess Bride" "Comic Potential" by Alan Ackbourne is fabulous, but I'm not sure how appropriate it is. Depends on your drama department. "Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)"-- written for three people, but can be done with many. "Feiffer's People" by Jules Feiffer. A bunch of vignettes, so you can have any number of people in your cast.
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How big a production are we talking and what sort of "grown-up"ness is allowed (content, swearing) etc?
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"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" by Tom Stoppard
Its a spin off from Hamlet - they were the guys sent with him to England with a note for the King asking him to kill Hamlet - they're really dumb and its hilarious. Definitely one of my favourites.
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Noises Off! is a great play and it's hysterical. It's a play within a play with a lot of craziness going on within the 'cast'. There was a movie made with Carol Burnett, John Ritter and Michael Caine.
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I would say "A Woman of No Importance" ((everything from Oscar Wilde is worship-able, but this would be funny to see done in a school.))
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I second The Importance of Being Ernest it's a hilarious play that is fairly easy to do and that everyone finds amusing
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The problem with Importance of Being Ernest, IMHO, is that it can easily suck. If you don't have really really talented actors (who can do good English accents) the play can be painfully bad.
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Remember too, Shakespeare with a funky modern twist can attract people. The college I used to attend did "Romeo and Juliet" with puppets and flying - very cool!!!
quote: and there's no way kids at my school will go to see Shakespeare two years in a row.
*faints
*wakes up groggily
Okay, got that out of the way. Two suggestions, one from "word of mouth" and other from being in it.
"Lend Me a Tenor" is from what I have heard a great door-slamming farce. Smaller cast, though.
For a great "little" musical I would suggest doing "Alice in Concert" which is a GREAT adapatation of the Alice in Wonderland story that also includes quality music. The music is not difficult but covers a lot of different genres. Samuel French carries it. I haven't seen it done and have desperately looked for a soundtrack but there isn't one out there.
What is cool is you can have a largish cast, too (if you want to include a lot of people) or smaller if you want folks to play more than one roll (I did Cheshire Cat and the Unicorn from the Lion and the Unicorn story and some chorus stuff as needed). Great great stuff and I am surprised as all get out that it isn't done more often.
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First off, quoting "The Blame" is awesome, Tom ...
second off...what about Arsenic and Old Lace ? I *love* that play. Or You Can't Take It With You, which I don't like as much, but it's still really hysterical at parts.
Or if you aren't dead-set on comedy (which i would be for a school that isn't gung-ho about theatre...comedies appeal to everyone -- they were the ONLY thing that brought people to my school plays!) maybe The Crucible or Twelve Angry Men (Persons?) good stuff
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I want to add my support for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and the Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged).
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I support Arsenic and Old Lace. I did that my last year of High School. It was really cool. I would also recomend An Ideal Husband as well as The Importance of Being Earnest. And if you don't have actors who can do british accents, it can still be done with an American. It may not sound as sophisticated, but if done well can be very funny.
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Good comedies that can usually be pulled off by high school aged actors:
The Nerd by Larry Shue - Hilarious, small cast. The Foreigner by Larry Shue - Hilarious, small cast. Laughter on the 23rd Floor by Neil Simon - Hilarious, small cast. Harvey - Not what I'd call a knee slapper but it is a funny, very well written play.
I wouldn't suggest doing Stoppard. R and G is hilarious if done well, but just long if not. If you like Hamlet spinoffs though, Fortinbras by Lee Blessing is a little easier and just as funny.
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Blithe Spirit. It's hard but you don't need more than a very small cast. I believe somewhere around seven? eight? Anyhow, we had lots of understudies.
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A Flea in Her Ear is a lot like Earnest, only not as difficult to screw up. It can still be really funny though.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Brigadoon Oklahoma Rocky Horror Picture Show <EG> Paint Your Wagon The Crucible Les Miserable Camelot Singing in the Rain Big River To Kill a Mockingbird Most Agatha Christi novels make great plays.
Posts: 986 | Registered: Jul 2001
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You're soooo NICE, You're not good, you're not bad you're just Nice. I'm not good, I'm not bad, I'm just RIGHT. I'm the witch. You're the World.
I vote into the woods =)
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all in the timing is ****ing amazing. but you already did that. i cant think of anything else to suggest.
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quote: The problem with Importance of Being Ernest, IMHO, is that it can easily suck. If you don't have really really talented actors (who can do good English accents) the play can be painfully bad.
This is true. Our high school did this play a few years ago, and it stank on ice.
I second, or third, or whatevernumber Into the Woods, but my brother (who loves it as much as I do) saw a production of it at BYU Idaho and wasn't impressed. He basically said that the players have to be really good singers AND really good actors, not one or the other.
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These all sound like great suggestions! Thank you so much. Our casts have been fairly large in the past, but the new advisor is hinting at wanting to do something with a smaller group. I'm going to be spending my weekend going through these and seeing which ones I want to present to the other members. Thanks again!
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The Importance of Being Earnest.. while it can stink without talent- it can also be one of the most hillarious plays around.. I love it.. and I think it gives off that sort of Shakespeare feel without the shakespeare that might interest your director
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