Something musical this way comes
Ray Bradbury brings 50-year-old lost musical ‘Merry Christmas 2116’ to South Pasadena’s Fremont Centre Theatre
By Carl Kozlowski 11/19/2009
Many would say Ray Bradbury has a gift for writing. After all, he’s a man who has published more than 50 novels, written hundreds of short stories and a host of screenplays, including the adaptation of “Moby Dick” for legendary director John Huston. And, at age 89, Bradbury has a fresh gift to offer local theater audiences, presenting his long-lost, never-produced play “Ray Bradbury’s Merry Christmas 2116” at South Pasadena’s Fremont Centre Theatre, starting at 8 p.m. on December’s first three Saturdays.
After that, the play picks up again, this time teamed with another of Bradbury’s one-act plays (not yet chosen), from Jan. 16 through Feb. 27.
The December performances of the one-act musical will feature a period of storytelling and a Q&A session — a true treat for fans who have enjoyed the past four years of the writer’s hook-up with the Fremont.
“We’re so honored that Ray has chosen our theater as a place to produce his shows,” says veteran actor James Reynolds, who co-owns the Fremont with his wife Lissa. James Reynolds is also on NBC’s daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives.” “There are few people of letters in this country as respected. Not a week goes by that I don’t read Ray’s name in an unexpected place, and that just shows the breadth of his influence,” he said. “You experiment with which place works out the best for you, and I’ve been through eight theaters for my plays,” Bradbury said during a recent interview at his home in West Los Angeles. “I like the size of the Fremont, its 90 seats, and there used to be a restaurant attached to it, which they’re talking about bringing back now. But I have everything to do with the play, not them. I cast them, I pick my director and we [Bradbury’s Pandemonium Theatre Co.] all come from somewhere else and just bring the show to the Fremont.”
In “2116,” Bradbury’s tenth production at the Fremont (which included “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit” and smash runs of “Fahrenheit 451”), an elderly couple approaching their 40th wedding anniversary each decide to give the other a present. The gifts in question are robot versions of themselves that are younger and hotter, setting off a series of screwball situations that should provide plenty of laughs to go with the tunes.
The truly amazing part of the play’s history is that it was originally conceived for the husband-wife film-star team of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester 50 years ago, with the great director James Whale attached to helm the production. But when Whale died suddenly, the play was set aside until now. The new production has a brand new musical score by James Hoke to go with Bradbury’s book and lyrics, and is directed by Steve Josephson.
“I love movies, books, theatre, writing short stories and writing novels and combine them all in one person,” explains Bradbury. “Life inspires me. I make up things first thing in the morning. God gives them to me, I wake up and say ‘OK, I’m going to write these right now.’ Everything happens in the morning as I wake up. His voice speaks to me — in one ear, out the other and onto the page.”
With such inspiration, Bradbury says he has written every day for the past 80 years, including one night in Paris when he wrote three plays in a single night, noting “Paris does that to me.” The French have returned the love by giving him the coveted French Commandeur, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal in 2007.
These days, the Waukegan, Ill., native is even busier than he has been for a long time — as one of the editors overseeing the recent rebirth of one of America’s great magazines, The Saturday Evening Post, including writing regular short stories for them and another revived literary mag, The Strand. He also just closed a deal with a production company to shop a six-hour TV miniseries to major networks, in which six famous directors will each select and bring to life a favorite Bradbury classic short story.
He looks back with pleasure on his history with colleagues like science-fiction great Robert Heinlein, who mentored him and helped him sell his first story. He’s also proud of his legacy as the creator of the film societies of the Writers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild of America.
“There are thousands of people seeing movies today because of me. I formed the film societies to teach people about the films I loved,” says Bradbury. “I met Samuel Goldwyn, one of the greatest producers of all time, for lunch after showing ‘Dodsworth.’ It just goes to show — do what you love and it will influence people you never expected.”
“Ray Bradbury’s Merry Christmas 2116” is performed at 8 p.m. Saturday Dec. 5, 12 and 19 at the Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena. Tickets are $20 general, $15 seniors, and $10 students. Call (323) 960-4451 or visit Plays411.com/Raybradbury.
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