By MITCHELL PEARL
It has been 22 years since there has been a theatrical production on the Otter Valley stage featuring adult actors and singers. All that is about to change, as “Lucky Stiff” takes the stage for performances on September 13, 14 and 15.
A collaboration between Otter Valley’s Walking Stick Theatre and the Brandon Recreation department, the show is a hilarious musical farce featuring a cast of fourteen. The cast includes some recent—and not-so-recent—Otter Valley graduates, but also features other members of the larger community, including one school-board member. Rehearsals have recently started, with Otter Valley’s theater director Jeffrey Hull directing the show. Kenny Cifone will be the music director, there will be a small band of musicians, and Mike Mitrano will handle the technical direction.
“Lucky Stiff” was performed off-Broadway in 1988 in New York, where it won the Richard Rodgers Award that year. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music). The show is based on the 1983 novel “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” by Michael Butterworth. The musical was also performed in London’s West End in 1997.
Otter Valley’s theater director Jeffrey Hull hopes that this will be the first of many offerings, providing an opportunity for both adults and younger students in the Brandon area to participate in a community theater production. For many years, such opportunities were lacking—at least right in Brandon. The goal over time is to form a company that would fill that gap for both adults and kids moving forward.
Those who have been around long enough may remember the last non-student production on the Otter Valley stage. Back in 2002, Jeffey Hull directed “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” to rave reviews. Then-assistant principal Jim Avery played Charlie Brown. Time flies. Good grief.
