A bit of frivolity
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Topic: A bit of frivolity
Posted By: red diva
Subject: A bit of frivolity
Date Posted: 5/31/07 at 9:38am
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How about a thread of silliness?
Can you come up with variations on well-known play titles to change what the playwright's original intent was? Then tell what your new play is about. (Think play descriptions in the French's and Dramatists catalogues)
For example:
All My Songs - the musical version of All My Sons.
Steel Maggots - unusually resilient bugs take over a small town in Lousiana, nesting in the hair of the residents. Truvy Jones tries valiently to kill them off with hairspray, but Shelby succumbs to the infestation despite Truvy's heroic efforts.
Crimes of the Fart - (I blush) - an old man with flatulence incites a riot in the crowded nightclub in which Meg is singing.
Piddler on the Roof - a strange yellow rain appears in the homes of Anatevka, Russia, causing the residents to flee to new surroundings.
The Sound of Mucous - the Von Trapp children are infected with a virulent upper respiratory infection, causing laryngitis on the day of the song festival. The family loses, preventing them from carrying out their escape plan.
Camelsnot - Arthur imports a strange new animal, the camel, to his kingdom, much to his eventual chagrin, as Gwen and Lance take pity on the poor animal (which develops a cold in its new, chilly, surroundings) and ride it to freedom in Arabia. The plot then follows their new life as doctors working to cure animal illnesses.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Quorum - silliness ensues as Senators and Representatives alike engage in illicit liasons, episodes of strong drink, and bribery. Oh, wait.....this play already opened in DC.
Little Mary Shoeshine - orphaned Mary's hotel in the mountains is repossessed for back taxes and she is reduced to shining the Mounties' boots to keep body and soul together. Naughty Nancy decides to pursue another function for the Mounties to make a living.
Anyway, forgive the frivolity. I just thought it might be fun!
------------- "I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!" |
Replies:
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 6/01/07 at 10:36am
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Birth of a Salesman - Willie Loman is born and immediately begins bitching that nobody likes him.
The Ass Menagerie - Shy girl's collection of donkeys is broken by a gentleman caller, who then makes rude jokes.
Flame - Young boy is taken in by his fabulous globetrotting uncle. Hilarity ensues.
Hello, Dalai! - Eastern holy man and part-time matchmaker is somehow a regular at the swankiest restaurant in New York.
To Mock a Killing bird - Southern lawyer makes fun of hawk.
King Leer - Dirty old king makes inappropriate remarks about his daughters' friends.
Annie Roebucks - Orphan grows up, marries into retail family, and doesn't get any less annoying.
Hedda Gabber - Norwegian woman talks so much that her husband shoots her.
I love this!  Maybe more to come.------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 6/01/07 at 11:26am
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"You Can't Bring it With You" The eccentric Sycamore family packs for a vacation.
"Arsenio and Old Lace" Two elderly ladies and their adoptive son host a talk show and murder their guests. "The Rubber Bridegroom" A landowner marries off his daughter to an inflatable doll. "Barefoot in the Dark" Two newlyweds stumble around an apartment with unfinished floors. "Baiting for Godot" Estragon and Vladmir spend all day in a boat, not catching any fish. "Who's Afraid of Virgin Wool?" George and Martha bicker about their alleged skin allergies. "The Naming of the Shrew" Petrucchio buys a pet mouse and doesn't know what to call it. "My Four Ladies" Producer Henry Higgins attempts to change some ragamuffin street urchins into a polished singing group. ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: Kurt Muller
Date Posted: 6/03/07 at 9:36pm
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"The King and Me". An adventurous Englishwoman travels to Siam to teach the King about the correct usage of the personal pronouns "I" and "Me" in English grammar. |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 6/04/07 at 12:04pm
"Free to Be...You and I" - Marlo Thomas alters her kids' show for the King of Siam.  "Ounce Upon a Mattress" - The princess finds something under her bed...then gets busted for it! "Death of a Telemarketer" - A modern day Willy Loman sees his job getting out-sourced to India.  "Hour Town" - A nice abridged version of an otherwise boring drama. "Disney's Home School Musical" - Sharpay's one-woman show in her own living room.
 "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Yawn" - A man and his barf of many colors.
 "The Mucus Man" - 76 trombones...all of which have no spit valves!
"Midsummer Night Dreamgirls" - "Oh what divas these mortals be".
"CATS on a Hot Tin Roof" - Mr. Mistoffelees feels what it's like to be in heat. "O'Jello" - William Shakespeare's famous tragedy is retold in a charming one-man show - from the mind of Bill Cosby! "Desdemona, would you like a pud-ding pop? Wu'ah-ah-ahhh..." "Lion King Lear" - "Oh, that way madness lies; let me shun that; hakuna matata".
"Booty and the Beast" - Who knew Tyra could sing?!!  Oooo, no I dih-n't!"Best Little Doll's House in Texas" - It's the Ibsen musical extravaganza of the season! "Nearly Deported" - The antics of an immigrant family from the writers of "Dearly Departed". "Phantom of the Oprah" - "Hate-ed it!!!" (Except for the free gift under every seat!)  P.S. She makes you read the book."Miss Calgon" - "Ahh...ancient Vietnamese secret!" "The Importance of Being Ernest T. Bass" - Barney's first attempt at playwriting for the Mayberry Community Theater. "It's big, really big!" Folks come all the way from Mount Pilot! "Footless" - A small farm town is in turmoil when a celebrity opens a school of dance. It's Paul McCartney's ex-wife in her first foray onto Broadway! (sorry...)  "Seven Life Partners for Seven Siblings" - Lots and lots of unique casting possibilities! Hey, would they do it in Summer rep. with "Bi, Bi, Birdie!"? (sorry again...)
"Two Gentlemen of Sonoma" - A pair of fops drive up the West coast to crash wine tastings and hit on chicks. "Pirates of Pinafore" - A merged double bill for the small theatre on a tight budget! (Hey, all the tunes are the same anyway!)  "My Fare Lady" - The professor jumps a turnstile into the heart of a New Jersey transit worker lady. "Fuhgeddaboudit, Henry Higgins." "Godspellcheck" - A revival of the musical using lots and lots of computer PowerPoint projections! "Jesus Christ Superstizzle" - The popular rock opera is updated with rap music. Snoop Dogg plays Judas. Eminem is Pretentious Pilate. "Wicked 2, Electric Boogaloo" - The witches of Oz return to the stage in a break-dancing spectacular! Music by Toto. "spam, a lot!" - Based on an endless series of poorly written e-mails about a long-lost rich uncle you never knew you had, who leaves millions after dying in a Nigerian car accident and/or plane crash. "Lay Miserable" - French beds suck. Let's pile them in the streets! "HAIRspray" - Naked hippies crash a live TV dance show. "A Chorus Line-Up" - Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are just two of the big names in this all star revival. (Instead of head shots...they hold up mug shots).  "Man of La Tantra" - He's obsessed with lancing windmills, again and again...and again. Now with rocker Sting in the leading role! Patrons beware: Act II may last up to 3 hours or more. "Don't Drink the O" - Wow...who'da' guessed Cirque du Soleil could stage a Woody Allen comedy?!
"Break Wind in the Willows" - Answers the question: If you're alone in the woods...does it make a sound?
"Flowers for Al Jarreau" - Charly is at it again!...trapping the singer in a giant maze! "Man of La Munchos" - A teen is obsessed with shaking and banging on vending machines. He's egged on by his little buddy, Nacho Panza. "Inherit the Wind in the Willows" - The serious drama about the "Scopes monkey trial" gets devolved into a whimsical childrens' musical with lots of cute little monkeys.  "Equusical the Musical" - Horton hears a horse. Thing 1 and Thing 2 clean up the stables. Music by The Who. "Little Shop of Rocky Horror" - Seymour runs a sci-fi store that sells toast, rice, water pistols and newspapers. Audrey can't put up with the riff raff and runs off to Columbia with the sadistic dentist, Dr. Frank-n-furter. The hungry plant complains, "Meatloaf again?!" "TROJAN Women" - A very sensitive comedy. These ladies always come prepared. They're not sheepish or thin skinned. They can take a ribbing. Except for Hecuba - don't rubber the wrong way. They all hail Ramses. The plot unrolls awkwardly, with the climax in Act II, leaving Act III a little limp. The playwright swears it's not his fault...it's never happened to him before! This play is a veritable reservoir of humor. Although some men find it lacks feeling. The set designer gives it unique flavors. The costumes are quite Shiek, with lighting by a real pro, Phil Lactic. Their latex age make-up is 99% effective! The Lifestyles of the Equity actors demand that they get put up in fine condominiums. Advance tickets are now available from a machine on men's room wall, (but don't leave them in your wallet too long or they'll leave a noticeable dent). Arrive before curtain time so you won't need to fumble in the dark. The play opened well in KY. It's a safe bet, (aside from seeing no play at all). It will tickle your funny bone. You'll burst with laughter! Ok. I'll stop... "KISS, Me Kate" - Tarzan's daughter finally meets her favorite rock band!  "You're Unsinkable Charlie Brown!" - Snoopy's doghouse is the only lifeboat for the Peanuts gang in this titanic Broadway hit!
Thanks red diva for the fun topic. -Dana
------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: red diva
Date Posted: 6/06/07 at 3:29pm
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You guys are great! I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself. Keep 'em coming!!! ------------- "I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!" |
Posted By: caseyscott07
Date Posted: 6/30/07 at 1:13pm
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Hope you don't mind me ressurecting this thread - I couldn't resist!
Here's a couple of my own.
Zeussical - characters from everyone's favourite Greek myths collide, with Rosie O'Donnell as Helen of Troy and Cathy Rigby as Hercules
The Sound of Muzak - Including hit songs "My Favourite Floors", "Climb Ev'ry Stairwell" and "Floor Sixteen Going on Seventeen", Rodgers and Hammerstein present an ode to elevator music.
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Posted By: tdsands
Date Posted: 7/11/07 at 8:12pm
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VERY FUNNY! Can't resist adding a couple. "Over the Riverdance and Through The Woods" Nick Cristano visits both sets of grandparents every Sunday to join in Irish Stepdancing lessons from the lovely Caitlin O'Hare. Unfortunately the stress is too much for all as one by one Nicks Grandparents pass on, leaving Nick to realize ...they weren't Irish! "A Funny Thing Happened on the way Over the Cuckoo's Nest" A madcap musical romp through an insane asylum where Pseudolous and McMurphy plot to be free. "Labotomy Tonight!"------------- tdsands @ NRT |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 7/12/07 at 7:59am
damn, you guys are good!!! 
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Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 7/30/07 at 8:40pm
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Thanks, I had a blast with this one.
I kept adding and adding to my list as they popped in my head! I might be painting on stage, or focusing lights on the catwalk, and then, bang, another silly one would come to me. I guess my mind churns loudly when I work alone.
My favorites are: "Flowers for Al Jarreau" and "KISS, Me Kate". They crack me up. I also like two titles posted by a guy named Topper: "You Can't Bring it With You" and "Who's Afraid of Virgin Wool"!
This is fun...! -Dana
Here is an update of new silly play titles:
"Disney's High School Seussical" - This time, Sharpay's drama club presents a colorful children's theatre production! "Mulan Rouge" - A young Chinese girl becomes a powerful warrior...and then sings perky pop songs against random glossy CGI backgrounds of Paris at nighttime! "Disney's High School Mucusal" - A Flemish production. If you can hack it. By the end you'll need a hanky. It-snot too bad, actually. The singing is nothing to cough at. But the lighting blows. (And the guy playing Troy is a drip). Hey, the tickets in London are only a quid! "Cyrano de Backarack" - Classic drama set to Bert's smooth lyrics. "Murder Mystery Date" - That popular 1960's boardgame is now a suspenseful dinner theatre romp!
------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: pinhook
Date Posted: 8/06/07 at 12:43pm
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A sequel to "Fuddy Meers": Thoroughly Modern Millet: The story of an escaped convict who makes his way to New York with his little friend to become a zookeeper at the Central Park Zoo.
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Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 8/08/08 at 4:50pm
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I've been working on some more play titles. Here's a grouping of some lame ones that still need a little work. Some of these are OK.
Works in progress:
"ANNIE, Get Your Gun!" - The first play by Quintin Tarentino. He looks at Orphan Annie from a new angle: "In a world...of tomorrow...where the easy streets of NYC are full of depression era scum...it's a hard knock life...but now there is a new deal in town...and maybe this lil' girl can mop up!...Dakota Fanning IS Annie...Samuel L. Jackson IS Warbucks. This play has not yet been rated". "Auntie Maim" - She's cruel, yes, but not nearly as thorough as Sweeney Todd. She just maims her victims a little.
"No No Annette" - Frankie follows Annette to Atlantic City and rents a little cubbyhole.
"Fiddler on a Hot Tin Roof" - This sequel finds the Jewish imagrants in the rural South.
"Seven Days in May, 1776" - A musical that's truely ahead of it's time! They sing about a plot to assasinate the future first president!
"Wild, Wild West Side Story" - The girls sing, "I want to live in New Mex-i-co." Rival poker gangs: Card Sharks & the Bets. Maria gets tired of the stinky cowboy town and sings, "I feel sh*tty, oh so sh*tty..." "Hunchback of Notre Dames at Sea" - Branded a freak and set adrift, he gets marooned on an island full of sexy dancing girls.
"Hadda' Gobbler" - A Thanksgiving drama about a hunter who comes home empty-handed.
"La Cage of Fowl" - Larry the Cable Guy tries his darnedest to follow the shenanigans of French-speakin' big city folk. "Now that's humeur right there".
"Antigone of Green Gables" - Greek tragedy adapted for little girls. "Anything Goes to Washington" - Mr. Smith taps his way through the halls of government. "Nunsense and Sensibilities" - A stuffy drama is now set to music.
"HARVEY Wallbanger" - (The world's first invisible drink!)
"California Sweet Charity" -  An overdose of Neil Simon..."Come HONK Your Horn" - The Ugly Duckling nearly choaks on waxed fruit! "Frozen Ants and Gilded Ferns Are Dead" - A Shakespeare parody from the geeks at Mythbusters!
"Greece" - You know, the musical. They sing: "No Greece light-ning! Burning up the Parthanon!", or "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Deopolus", or "Plato's School Dropout"...
"Chicargo" - The popular musical with a Minnesota accent!
"On a Clear Day You Can See Six Characters in Search of an Author! Author!" "Nutcracker Sweet Charity" - She takes a self-defense class to fend off male attackers. "George W" - The riches to riches musical review about a former Texas oil man who becomes the toast of Broadway...by way of DC. "110 in the Shed" - That's the total seating capacity. And you thought YOUR community theatre was an old barn!!
 It's so cramped you have to step outside to change your motivation..."LOST in Yonkers" - Several plane crash survivors return home to New York.
"The Bald Sopranos" - ...no not that Italian family, another family that lives way too close to a Jersey chemical plant! "Pajama Game Show Boat" - Hmmm...I guess it involves Bob Barker's retirement on the ol' Mississippi...or...would it be Hugh Hefner giving prizes from his yacht?...I don't know...
"Damn Yankee Doodle Dandy" - The baseball game is only the first two minutes, but the National Anthem lasts all night!
"BIG River" - That Tom Hanks kid goes back in time as young Huckleberry Finn!!! (Challenge for your set designer: They dance on piano keys while floating down river!)"A Christmas Carousel" - It's Christmas in "June, June, June..." Tiny Tim wishes for better access to rides at the fair. Featuring the Ghost of Clambakes Past...? "Phantom of the 3 Penny Opera" - A very low budget vaudeville horror musical.
"The Fosse Chaperone" - A show-within-a-show-within-a-review. "Roar of the Grease Paint Your Wagon" -
?"South Specific" - Everything starts going South for Nellie. She sings: "Bali Bra....." "Teahouse of the Man-in-the-Moon for the Misbegotten" -
 Doh! I'm getting loopy...New titles I've been brainstorming:
"I Love You, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Now Change" -
"I Love YouTube, You're Friended, Now Chat" - "CherSpray" -
"Les Mikado" -
"Knight of the Iguana" -
"Twelfth Night of the Iquana" -
"Bat Bowie" - (A rock opera).
"Bat Boys in the Hood -
"The Rocky Horror Showboat" -
"Ragtime for Sergeants" -
"Sleeping Beauty and the Beast" - "Taming of the 'Shroom" - "Much Ado About Nuttin' " - "Mary Pippin" - "MASK of the Red Death" - "Masque of the Red Death of a Salesman Who's Coming to Dinner" - "How to Suck Seeds and Bisquick Without Really Dying" -
------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/09/08 at 4:41am
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"The Prisoner of Second Avenue Q" A man has a nervous breakdown when puppets move into the next apartment.
"The Lion King and I" An English schoolteacher attempts to teach wild African animals to sing. (Sort of a sequel to "Witch Doctor Dolittle.") "Jersey Boys Next Door" A home for mentally challenged adults finds success as pop singing group. "There's Something About Mary Poppins" A young boy has an unnatural fixation on his strange nanny. "Stuart Little Women" Jo and her sisters are tormented by a giant cat. (Also Know As: "Little Mouse on the Prairie") ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 8/09/08 at 8:23am
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You guys are so funny - and good at this!  |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/09/08 at 3:40pm
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My LOL favorite is definitely "Cyrano De Bacharach." With Mr. Lowell's permission, that's going to be the title of my next Fringe show.
------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: tdsands
Date Posted: 8/12/08 at 12:21am
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Thanks for reviving this!
"Lend me a Tremor" Max, played by Kevin Bacon longs to sing opera in this case of mistaken identity, while giant worms from space tunnel under the theater and devour the over the top actors to the audiences delight!
"12 Angry Men of LaMancha" Locked in a room together, these hopeless romantics become agitated, upset and confused. So much so that Sancho can't take it and jumps from the window to his death. ------------- tdsands @ NRT |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/13/08 at 10:35pm
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"Deathtrap of a Salesman" Willy Loman makes an unfortunate call on the home of a murderous playwright.
"Brighton Beach Memoirs of a Geisha" A young Asian girl helps her family pay the rent growing up in New York. "BrigaDUNE" A mythical Scottish village runs out of water and is terrorized by a giant sand worm. "The Music Man For All Seasons" Fast-talking chancellor Sir Thomas More tries to convince Henry VIII to not divorce his wife and instead start a marching band. "Guys and Dolls' House" Nora discovers her husband Torvald is an inveterate gambler who won her in a bet. The funniest musical Ibsen ever wrote. "Twelfth Night at the Opera" Due to a case of mistaken identity, Harpo disguises himself as a woman and is wooed by Chico. Meanwhile Groucho Marxolio is convinced Olivia Claypool is in love with him ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 8/22/08 at 4:27pm
Hi Topper, yes of course, you can use "Cyrano De Bacharach" in your next Fringe show. But what do you do? Tell us about your Fringe shows...sounds interesting.
By the way, some of your new "play titles" are very hilarious! I especially like: "Something About Mary Poppins" and "BrigaDUNE".
And I don't know why I never thought of "The Lion King and I"...I punch myself for not coming up with that one! - DanaSo here are the latest ones that have occured to me:
"Sniper on the Roof" - Tevye sings: "If I were a hit man, yada dada didi dada dum..." The daughter sings: "Bombmaker, bombmaker, make me a bomb..."
"I Remember Mama Mia" - ABBA music really peps up this drama!
"The FantasSTYX" - Riding the wave of success caused by ABBA's "Mama Mia", another 70's rock band hits the Broadway stage!
"The Bi-Curious Savage" - She's never too old to be adventurous. "Titus Androdgenous" - So that's why Shakespeare's actors played all the female parts...! "Katz" - It's all kosher...well, except for Rumpelteazer.
"Xanadude"
- The 70's male review."Biloxi Blue Man Group" - A sure-fire way to fill seats: Neil Simon's wit and giant toilet paper cannons!"
"Overdue RENT" - Finally, the sequel! "Babe in Toyland" - "That'll do, Piggy Bank, that'll do". "Educating Evita"
- She sings: "Don't whine like me, Argentina..." "Metamorphosister Act" - A pool of water on stage...full of singing nuns! How can it miss?!
"MacRib" - Son of MacBeth. (Lady MacBeth to her dog: "Out, out, damn Spot")
 Sorry, old pun..."Piglet" - "Alas poor Eeyore, I knew him Tigger." "Jersey Boys from Syracuse" - (They get kicked out of town a lot!)
"Doh! Calcutta! - It's The Simpsons live on stage...nude!
"Wack" - It's "Wicked", but from the producers of "The Wiz"!!!
------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/22/08 at 7:08pm
The Fringe Festival is an annual 2-week theatrical event that happens every summer in many cities across the USA (and also in Edinborough, Scotland among others). Theater artists stage one-act, experimental shows with a running time of no more than 60 minutes (to facilitate scheduling). Shows are run in rep, back-to-back. These are staged in various participating venues throughout the city. Some are actual theaters, some are cafes with performing spaces, sometimes an abandoned warehouse or office building, and one very memorable play was staged in an inflatable raft in the middle of the swimming pool at the YMCA (it was a play about survivors of a shipwreck). Plays are written by the artists themselves and are as elaborate or as simple as time & money would allow. One-man shows are popular, but large-cast dramas, comedies, and even a few "epic" musicals have been done as well. It's a lot of fun and it give many performers, directors and writers a no-holds-barred forum for some truly creative and interesting pieces. For more information, you can check out http://www.fringefestival.org/2008/about/ ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: whitebat
Date Posted: 8/23/08 at 9:38pm
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"Grease Your Wagon".
1. What kind of person paints his/her wagon before heading for an unknown frontier anyway?
2. Seems like greasing parts of your wagon would actually serve a useful function.
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Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 9/03/08 at 9:50am
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Topper, thanks for the interesting info on the Fringe Festival. Have you started a separate topic about it somewhere on this forum? I'm sure others would like to hear more about this as well. I've always liked the idea of theatrical improvisation in found spaces. Maybe it will catch on around here someday. Cool.
Hey, by the way, here are the latest "morphed play titles" that I've come up with!
"Stuart Li'l Abner" - A corny musical about "the country mouse".
"Seagully Blonde"
- Elle Woods takes on Chekhov as only she can. "Peter Pantomime" - Summerstock in the park: A silent version of Peter Pan done in white face and lots of Fosse hands! "Legally Blonde Ambition" - Elle Woods...uniquely portrayed by Madonna!
 (Parental guidance suggested)."The Lyin' Bitch and the Wardrobe" - A local children's theatre production is disrupted by unpleasant backstage drama. The mean-spirited Director and the Costume Designer are embroiled in a real messy divorce!
 "Chitty Chitty Boeing-Boeing" - Professor Potts needs a stewardess for his flying car, so he hires Truly Scrumptious. Highjinks ensue.
"Young, Frank and Stein" - Another behind-the-scenes Broadway musical, like "The Producers". Only this one is about the wacky law offices used by Mel Brooks.
We're going to run out of play titles before long! But who knows...?
Later, Dana
------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 9/04/08 at 5:03pm
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"Waiting Until Dark for Godot" Vladmir & Estragon are struck blind and hide from a dangerous drug smuggler -- who never shows up.
"Long Day's Journey Into The Woods" A Baker and his Wife leave Connecticut to discover Red Riding Hood is an alcoholic while Rapunzel is addicted to morphine. "Winnie the Proof" Christopher Robin goes insane trying to decipher an equation left behind by his imaginary bear. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Chocolate Factory" Sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph befriends the Oompa-Loompas by interpreting their dreams. "Prelude to a Kiss Me Kate" The show must go on after the female half of a bickering husband-and-wife acting duo is mysteriously replaced by an old man. ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 9/24/08 at 1:19pm
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And they never stop coming..... "OklaHomer" - Roger's & Hammerstein...as performed by The Simpsons! "Jesus Christ Superstar Wars" - Hear the Han Solo duet! See Anakin Skywalker as the conflicted Judas at the last supper! Hear Yoda sing, "Hmm?...Buzz there is. Happening, tell me!" "The Dell Monte" - These average Hawaiian guys are nude, except for some well-placed pineapples! "Aida Lot" - Elton John and Tim Rice tackle the battle with weight gain. "Bus Stomp" - The noisiest diner in the world! "The Grapes of Wrath of Khan" - Ricardo Montalban attempts to re-grow all life in the Dust Bowl. "Cash Cabaret" - A Broadway game show in a taxi. All answers must be in the form of show tunes! "Of Mice and Mentos" - Messy! Sit in the front row and you'll need a raincoat like at a Gallagher show! "Tom Crucible" - A weird movie star is dragged through a tabloid witch hunt! "The Tempest Agency" - (Where Shakespearean actors go looking for work). "Cabaraisin in the Sun" - Liza Minnelli attempts her revival with an all-Black cast. "The Drainmaker" - Starbuck exploits a pitiful little town that's flooded with too much water.
The frivolity may never stop....
-Dana ------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 10/02/08 at 12:42pm
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Well, I thought the puns had all run out. But I've been so stressed lately trying to design "Les Mis" that my mind has been wandering a lot. I guess daydreaming about theater puns is a good "stress relief exercise" for me. Enjoy...
"You're a Good Doctor, Charlie Brown" - The Peanuts gang in old Russia.
"Last of the Red Hots, Lover" - ...said her boyfriend. He always hogs the candy whenever they go out to the movies!
"I Ought To Be In Pitchers" - A new musical about a man's struggle to start a micro-brewery. Or...? A new children's musical from the unique viewpoint of a cute little steroid!
"The Complete Dental Works of William Shakespeare (Bridged)" - Biting satire. Oral history you can really sink your teeth into. The scene from MacBreath really stinks. The union actors are on retainer, but at least they are not dentured servants.
"The House of Jessica Alba" - It's decidedly sexier than the original production!
"Gypsy Mothra" - As a last resort, Tokyo tries to defeat the flying monster with a gigantic stripper! Ethal Mermon sings: "Ev-ery-thing's Blow-ing Up Roses!" Scene design by Rodan. (A sequel to: "Children of a Lesser Godzilla").
Broadway gets into presidential politics in 2008:
"The McCain Mutany" - A heavy drama about a Navy man who is slow to see his men jumping ship.
"I Don't Know, Alaska" - A satirical comedy that leaves plenty of unanswered questions.
"Barack Around the Clock" - A lively new musical, with TV ads running at all hours of the day and night.
"Biden My Time" - An OK drama. But the soliloquies are sometimes too long...
"Hillary's Duff" - Biting political satire that some say gets way too personal.
"Wall Streetcar Named Desire" - A steamy tragedy about greed and the lust for money.
"Joe vs. Wade" - Convoluted storytelling that somehow mentions an average plumber AND womens' plumbing in the same scene.
"Some Like it Globally Warm" - A gory show that started out as a sleeper and is now gaining a wider audience.
"Pump Boys and Cabriolets" - Gas station owners sing the blues as Smart Cars pass them by.
"Shock and Ah, Wilderness" - This epic cash-cow is on a timetable to close early.
"Last of the Red State Voters" - A production "8 years in the making".
"Camelot II" - A Lieberman & Lowe musical collaboration.
Have a good weekend. ------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 10/05/08 at 10:26pm
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Not mine, but truly funny. Enjoy!
Man of La Monchichi
Wait Until Quark ... a blind physicist finds herself entangled in an irratating conversation with a first grade dropout ... until she begins to explain the six flavours of quarks and their most likely decay modes. A Streetcar Named Divine! ... "I don't want realism - I want magic!" Other People's Honey ... starring Winnie the Pooh.
Remington Steele Magnolias ... Pierce Brosnan stars as a private investigator who can't seem to crack a case without first stopping in for a body wave. ------------- In a world of margarine, be butter! |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:06am
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The latest list of corrupted titles from your favorite plays... "12 Ang Lee Men" - A drama about a dozen movie buffs who get together at Starbucks to discuss artsy-fartsy action movies. "Flower Drum Song Trilogy" - A popular Rogers and Fierstein musical. "Our Urinetown" - (Yes, the old guy playing our Narrator has "a going problem"). "The Todd Couple" - Two unlikely roommates argue constantly over whether the "Broadway version" or the "Johnny Depp movie" was the best. "Uncle Vanya's Cabin" - Chekhov's story of escape from a gulag run by the evil Simonov Legree. "Hello, Wall-E" - The first Broadway musical to star an automated robot on stage! "Ann-E" - A little orphan robot sings: "Oh, the sun will burn out, tomorrow...". "CLUEless" - A murder mystery set in a Beverly Hills high school. "Coach Mustard did it - in the cafeteria - with the Gucci bag!" "12 Gangly Men" - It's another sequel to "High School Musical" from the viewpoint of the school's Star Trek Club!  "A Funny Thing Happened in the Penthouse Forum" - Weird letters are read aloud by sexy women in togas. "Seaman Todd: The Demon Sailor of Fleet Week" - Sweeney's wacky cousin!
------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: red diva
Date Posted: 11/26/08 at 6:00pm
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This is the first time I've looked into this topic for a long while. It appears that I created a very funny monster. We might want to rename it the "Mr. Lowell and Topper Show" about two grown men with entirely too much time on their hands. ------------- "I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!" |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 11/26/08 at 6:13pm
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That's right! No, actually I gave up playing Freecell to do these puns as a stress-release instead. ------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 12/03/10 at 9:51am
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After a two year break, it's time to pun again! Here are a few new Broadway title mash-ups: "Sweeney Wonka" - "Watch out kids, or he'll make mince meat out of you!" "American Elliot" - It still has all the great dancing, but without the thick British accents... "Memphis and the Belle" - "After discovering her boyfriend was a real beast, Belle sings the blues. "Kiss of the Spider-Man" - A musical about the making of a musical that is so expensive it's nearly the kiss of death. "Billy Idiot" - This dorky kid does an interpretive ballet to Green Day's entire album! The Addams Fela! - It will leave you dancing! So will Thing! ------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 12/03/10 at 8:20pm
| Too funny, all of this. And very inspirational! |
Posted By: Paramitch
Date Posted: 12/18/10 at 1:01am
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I love these! Love so many of these, dozens of brilliant posts, like Antigone of Green Gables, or Other People's Honey (Pooh gone wrong!)... Is it wrong that I sat here and laughed and laughed the most over The King and Me? If it is, I don't wanna be right. Here's mine, silly ones with a holiday twist (tis the season!): The Santasticks - The romantic story of two elves who grew up on opposite sides of a sleigh... Frosty/Nixon - Three ghosts plus a surprise snowman visit Nixon, and change his soul in one night A Christmas Tory - an early American politician... shoots his eye out. The Buttcracker - a pair of low-rise jeans goes horribly wrong... Spider-Man, Turn Off the Park - Spidey gets into the holiday spirit and fills Central Park with Christmas lights, resulting in catastrophic electric bills and a legal notice to cease and desist Cheers and happy holidays! ------------- Angela Mitchell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Performing Arts Guide, About.com http://performingarts.about.com performingarts.guide@about.com Twitter PerfArtsGuide |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 1/17/11 at 9:17am
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Here is a compilation of favorites of my funny titles from above, so I can print them out to post on the board in our green room!
------ Broadway Musical Mash-Ups: "Fiddler on a Hot Tin Roof" - This sequel finds our Jewish imagrants in the rural deep South. "Pirates of Pinafore" - A merged double bill for the small theatre on a tight budget! (Hey, all the tunes are the same anyway!) "HAIRspray" - Naked hippies crash a live TV dance show. "Little Shop of Rocky Horror" - Seymour runs a sci-fi store that sells toast, rice, water pistols and newspapers. Audrey can't put up with the riff raff and runs off to Columbia with the sadistic dentist, Dr. Frank-n-furter. The hungry plant complains, "Meatloaf again?!" "You're Unsinkable Charlie Brown!" - Snoopy's doghouse is the only lifeboat for the Peanuts gang in this titanic Broadway hit. "Educating Evita" - She sings: "Don't whine like me, Argentina..." "Bus Stomp" - The noisiest diner in the world! "I Remember Mama Mia" - ABBA music really peps up this drama! "The FantasSTYX" - Another 70's rock band hits the Broadway stage! "Kiss of the Spider-Man" - A musical about the making of a musical that is so expensive it's nearly the kiss of death. "Billy Idiot" - A kid does an interpretive ballet to Green Day's entire album! "The Addams Fela!" - It will leave you dancing! So will Thing! Classic Play Title Mash-Ups: "Midsummer Night Dreamgirls" - "Oh what divas these mortals be". "Lion King Lear" - "Oh, that way madness lies; let me shun that; hakuna matata". "Piglet" - "Alas poor Eeyore, I knew him Tigger." "Antigone of Green Gables" - Greek tragedy adapted for little girls. "12 Ang Lee Men" - A dozen movie buffs gather at Starbucks to discuss artsy-fartsy action movies. "Jersey Boys from Syracuse" - (They get kicked out of town a lot!) "Don't Drink the O" - Wow, who would've guessed Cirque du Soleil could stage a Woody Allen comedy?! "Equusical the Musical" - Horton hears a horse. Thing 1 and Thing 2 clean up the stables. Music by The Who. "Inherit the Wind in the Willows" - The "Scopes Monkey Trial" gets devolved into a whimsical childrens' musical with lots of cute little monkeys! "Uncle Vanya's Cabin" - Chekhov's character escapes from a gulag run by the evil Simonov Legree. "Twisted" Play Titles: "Cyrano de Backarack" - Classic drama set to Bert's smooth lyrics. "Wack" - It's "Wicked", but from the producers of "The Wiz"!!! "Flowers for Al Jarreau" - Charly is at it again!...trapping the singer in a giant maze! "KISS, Me Kate" - Tarzan's daughter finally meets her favorite rock band! "Aida Lot" - Elton John tackles the battle with weight gain. "The House of Jessica Alba" - Decidedly sexier than the original production! "Titus Androdgenous" - So THAT'S why Shakespeare's actors played all the female parts...! "Free to Be...You and I" - Marlo Thomas alters her kids' show for the King of Siam. "The Dell Monte" - These average Hawaiian guys are nude, except for some well-placed pineapples! "Death of a Telemarketer" - A modern day Willy Loman sees his job getting out-sourced to India. "Xanadude" - The 70's male review. "Young, Frank and Stein" - A new Broadway musical about the wacky law offices of Mel Brooks. "Godspellcheck" - A revival of the musical using lots and lots of computer PowerPoint projections! "Murder Mystery Date" - That popular 1960's boardgame is now a suspenseful dinner theatre romp! "Last of the Red Hots, Lover" - ...said her boyfriend. (He always hogs the candy when they go out to the movies). "spam, a lot!" - Based on an endless series of poorly written e-mails about a long-lost rich uncle you never knew you had, who leaves millions after dying in a Nigerian car accident and/or plane crash. "Lay Miserable" - French beds suck. Let's pile them in the streets! "Of Mice and Mentos" - Messy! Sit in the front row and you'll need a raincoat like at a Gallagher show! "Some Like it Globally Warm" - A gory show that started out as a sleeper and is now gaining a wider audience. Play Titles Mashed-Up with Film & TV: "Babe in Toyland" - "That'll do, Piggy Bank, that'll do". "Stuart Li'l Abner" - A corny musical about "the country mouse". "Jesus Christ Superstar Wars" - Hear Yoda sing, "Hmm? Buzz there is. Happening, tell me!" "Cash Cabaret" - A Broadway game show in a taxi. All answers must be in the form of show tunes! "The Importance of Being Ernest T. Bass" - Barney's first attempt at playwriting for the Mayberry Community Theater. "It's big, really big!" Folks come all the way from Mount Pilot! "Doh! Calcutta!" - It's The Simpsons live on stage...nude! "Miss Calgon" - "Ahh...ancient Vietnamese secret!" "Wicked 2, Electric Boogaloo" - The witches of Oz return to the stage in a break-dancing spectacular! Music by Toto. "Anything Goes to Washington" - Mr. Smith taps his way through the halls of government. "Wall Streetcar Named Desire" - A steamy tragedy about the lust for profit. "Hello, Wall-E" - The first Broadway musical to star an automated robot on stage! Twisted Play Titles That Are "Just Wrong": "Break Wind in the Willows" - Answers the question: If you're alone in the woods...does it make a sound? "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Yawn" - A man and his barf of many colors. "Footless" - A small farm town is in turmoil when a celebrity opens a school of dance. It's Paul McCartney's ex-wife in her first foray onto Broadway! (sorry...) "Seven Life Partners for Seven Siblings" - Lots and lots of unique casting possibilities! Hey, would they do it in Summer rep. with "Bi, Bi, Birdie!"? (sorry again...) "Our Urinetown" - (Yes, the old guy playing our Narrator has "a going problem"). "The Bi-Curious Savage" - She's never too old to be adventurous. "The Lyin' Bitch and the Wardrobe" - A local children's theatre Director and his Costume Designer are embroiled in a really messy divorce! "TROJAN Women" - A very sensitive comedy. These ladies are always prepared. They're not sheepish or thin skinned. They can take a ribbing. Except for Hecuba - don't rubber the wrong way. They all hail Ramses. The plot unrolls awkwardly, with the climax in Act II, leaving Act III a little limp. The playwright swears it's not his fault...it's never happened to him before! This play is a veritable reservoir of humor. Although some men find it lacks feeling. The set designer gives it unique flavors. The costumes are quite Shiek, with lighting by a real pro, Phil Lactic. Their latex age make-up is 99% effective! The Lifestyles of the Equity actors demand that they get put up in fine condominiums. Advance tickets are now available from a machine on men's room wall, (but don't leave them in your wallet too long or they'll leave a noticeable dent). Arrive before curtain time so you won't need to fumble in the dark. The play opened well in KY. It's a safe bet, (aside from seeing no play at all). It will tickle your funny bone. You'll burst with laughter! Ok. I'll stop... Multiple Play Title Mash-Ups: "On a Clear Day You Can See Six Characters in Search of an Author! Author!" "Teahouse of the Man-in-the-Moon for the Misbegotten" "Masque of the Red Death of a Salesman Who's Coming to Dinner" "I Love You, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Now Change" ------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |
Posted By: Paramitch
Date Posted: 1/20/11 at 10:09pm
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Mr. Lowell,
As always, those were hilarious. My favorite was Our Urinetown. So, so wrong...
Angela ------------- Angela Mitchell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Performing Arts Guide, About.com http://performingarts.about.com performingarts.guide@about.com Twitter PerfArtsGuide |
Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 6/10/13 at 1:34pm
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I'm so proud that Neil Patrick Harris used a couple more of my Broadway title mash-ups again this year on the Tonys!
I had hoped that "Cabaraisin in the Sun" would have gotten a lot better laugh, though. One of my favorites. ------------- Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School |