Show #62 "The Transylvanian Clockworks" by The Outfit Theatre Project

I guess everybody loves a good vampire. Or at least they all seem to love a good vampire story. This is what the folks with The Outfit Theatre Project are counting on, especially this time of year.

Yes, Halloween has come and gone, but The Outfit's run of "The Transylvanian Clockworks" lives on, until Nov. 14th, that is. And it is quite an entertaining tale. It should be, it's the story of Dracula.

Although this play was written by Don Nigro, it is essentially a new and different take on Bram Stoker's classic story. Most of the main characters are the same. Whether this was written in the script, or was the invention of the director's vision, "Clockworks" takes on a steam punk look to it.

Hmmmm...there seems to be a trend here. This past week I watched both a staged reading and a fully-staged show with the steam punk and clockwork themes. A coincidence? Yes. A significant trend? Maybe.

I got to admit, before this year, I didn't even know what "steam punk" was. I had never heard that expression before. Had I seen stories/movies that incorporated such themes? Probably. Did I think I was witnessing something within the sci-fi genre that qualifies as a "movement"? No.

But, after googling the term and seeing what the internet gurus had to say about this phenomenon, it told me that it is considered closely connected to the sci-fi and fantasy genres. So, it makes sense that this "out look" would be employed for Maggie Lee's "The Clockwork Professor." This is sci-fi!

But to employ this with the Dracula tale is surprising. Surprising and refreshing, and probably an appropriate way for a new generation to view this old horror tale. In my opinion, Dracula's story can easily become campy for today's audiences, especially in live theatre. But to make this vampire's story a bit of an anachronism, that might sell it to me.

The only problem I had last evening with "Clockworks" was the late night hour. The show was part two of a double feature at Tacoma LIttle Theatre. After enjoying "Eleemosynary" we stayed to watch "Clockworks" at 10pm.

It was too late for this sleepyhead to think real hard. But not too late for me to appreciate the entertainment value of this show.

Photography courtesy of Scott Campbell of Tacoma Little Theatre

Show #41 "Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead" with The Outfit Theatre Project

Being a non-expert on the works of William Shakespeare, more specifically, of Hamlet, my timing could not have been better.

Having just returned from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and experiencing their extraordinary production of "Hamlet," I was actually in a position to understand and appreciate the humor of The Outfit's "The 15 Minute Hamlet" and "Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead." Lucky me.

Tom Stoppard's "15 Minute Hamlet" is exactly what the title implies. It is a speed-through of the highlights and most quotable lines from Shakespeare's long, long play. What is usually performed in over 3 hours is condensed (with humor) into a 15 minute play.

On the other hand, "Rosencrantz et al" is a fictional "what if" story about Hamlet's two college buddies who are rather minor characters in the original play, but take center stage in this tale that asks the question, "what would happen if the ghosts of Hamlet's murdered college buddies roamed the earth, searching for the answers and the meaning surrounding their untimely deaths?"

The results are a mixture of comedy, absurd repartee and more Hamlet quotes.

This whole concept of Stoppard's got me thinking. What if a play like this was written about the "untold stories" of other supporting Shakespearean characters? After spending a week with many such characters in Ashland, Oregon, I have a few suggestions.

I would be interested to see a show called "My Name is Antonio, and I Never Get the Girl (or Guy)." This is based on viewing both "The Merchant of Venice" and "Twelfth Night," where characters named Antonio both end up alone while other characters enjoy happy resolutions to their romantic lives.

Then there is the would-be title "Working for The Man: or Do I Work for a Woman?" Of course, Shakespearean comedies so often have female characters who dress as men. Gender-bending needs to be showcased.

And then there is the one-man show called "I Am Horatio, And What the Heck is Wrong With My Philosophy?"

I guess the list can go on and on. I've only just begun.

Bravo to The Outfit Theatre Project for taking on this ambitious production. It is yet another way Shakespeare can be a part of Pierce County arts.

Photo courtesy of John Pfaffe