ellenkushner: (DREYDL)
ellenkushner ([personal profile] ellenkushner) wrote2008-10-02 03:46 pm

AT LAST IT CAN BE TOLD: I'M WRITING A CHILDREN'S PLAY FOR BROADWAY!

OK, WELL, IT'S BROADWAY & W. 76th STREET (not Times Square), BUT STILL . . . .

The Klezmer Nutcracker
a.k.a.
The Golden Dreydl
a.k.a.
the Project that Would not Die . . . .
will be produced in December by Vital Theater Company as The Klezmer Nutcracker.

It is, indeed, an adaptation of my live performance > radio show > album > chapter book. I'm having a blast working with director Linda Ames Key, and choreogapher Dax Valdes, to create a fully-staged extravaganza with 8 adult actors and Shirim's brilliant wacky klezmer version of Tchaikovsky's famous tunes! (The music is pre-recorded - this is children's theater, everyone keeps explaining to me: no budget, but lots of fun, and so far I totally agree.) Like the book itself, and the show I do with the band, this is suitable for older kids: 7-12 is my ideal audience, though I've seen very small kids have a great time, too. Depends on the kid. But most of Vital's other shows are slanted a bit younger, so I hope we can get the word out that now that you're 10 (or even 13) you're not too grown up for The Klezmer Nutcracker!

Performances run December 6-January 3, Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 1pm, with Additional Shows December 29, 30, 31, January 1, 2 at 1pm and Evening Shows Dec. 18, 19, 26 & 29th. Feel free to make your reservations now! I can't promise to be at every single show, but I'll be at many: I am in love with the process - read-throughs, casting, rehearsals . . . it's a dream come true, and I'll want to see as many performances as possible - not to mention the fact that the book will be for sale in the lobby, and it always helps to have the author there signing copies. It's a great little 108-seat theater, not a bad seat in the house - though not wheelchair accessible: there is one flight of stairs.

I'm so glad it's finally official, and I can talk about it! We had our first read-through in August, and it was a blast. Next one's coming up, so I'd better get back to my rewrites now. Tante Miriam gets a lot more lines in this version. And I think we're double-casting her with the Demon King, as they're never onstage at the same time. What a great part! (UPDATE: Auditions are Oct. 10th, and are posted through breakdown express and can be accessed via actorsaccess.com, or write to "kids" at "VitalTheatre" with that dot org thing at the end.)

[identity profile] swan-tower.livejournal.com 2008-10-02 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
That's awesome! I hope it all goes swimmingly.

[identity profile] scbutler.livejournal.com 2008-10-02 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
You mean I've been privy to inside information all this time and didn't sell it to TMZ? What a fool I am!

It's going to be great!

[identity profile] gwynraven.livejournal.com 2008-10-02 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Congratulations!

There's a Broken Light for Every Heart...

[identity profile] abostick59.livejournal.com 2008-10-02 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay!

So is that Broadway, Off-Broadway, On-Off-Broadway, Off-On-Broadway, or what?

Re: There's a Broken Light for Every Heart...

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
What a great question! I think it's technically Off-Off-Broadway (on Broadway) . . . .

[identity profile] kijjohnson.livejournal.com 2008-10-02 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Congratulations! And have fun-

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
So will you be in town? Can you come?

[identity profile] desayunoencama.livejournal.com 2008-10-04 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
Alas,won't be in town then. But when it hits Madrid... :-)

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-04 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
From your mouth to God's ear!

Shanah Tovah. Hope it's a good one for you & yours.

[identity profile] bethynyc.livejournal.com 2008-10-02 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Hooray! I'll definitely attend!

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-04 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
Excellent!

[identity profile] yaoi-in-exile.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
Ohmuhgawsh, congratufreakinglations! :D

[identity profile] writegirl23.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
Congratualations!!! Now to see if I can come up with a reason to go to New York on one of those days ...

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
We have some excellent museums, as well.

[identity profile] ecmyers.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
That is wonderful!

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay! I'll send a notice to the GothamLit list, closer to the date.....

[identity profile] enegim.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
Congratulations! That looks great. And my stepfather still lives in that neighborhood (where I grew up); he has two small granddaughters, so I've forwarded the info to him.

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Perfect!
ewein2412: (Default)

[personal profile] ewein2412 2008-10-03 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
eeeeeee!!!!! this is so exciting!

[identity profile] icecreamempress.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, my gosh! What a great idea, and the Vital Theatre people are awesome. YAY!

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-10-03 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Do you know the Vital folks, yourself?

[identity profile] dryfoo.livejournal.com 2008-10-04 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
Wonderful news! You know, you might be closing in on Douglas Adams's record of number of different incarnations of a single work. Have you considered a computer game, or movie? As long as you're in NYC, maybe you should look into a Golden Dreydl on Ice?

Seriously, congratulations. I hope it's continues to be even more fun than you've already had.

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-11-19 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
lol!

[identity profile] queenbookwench.livejournal.com 2008-10-04 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
That's excellent news! congratulations!


Totally OT: I've moved a couple of times in rapid succession recently, and have finally gotten to a place where I could take some stuff out of my temporary storage unit. Since I didn't really have time to label all of the book boxes, reopening them is a little bite like Xmas--I never quite know what I'll get.

But in the last box, I found my copy of The Golden Dreidl that you signed, and it reminded me of how lovely it was to meet you and Delia at ALA last year.

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-11-19 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
That was lovely, wasn't it? Congrats on getting things out of boxes - we still have dozens more to go . . . .!
ext_73044: Tinkerbell (Default)

[identity profile] lisa-marli.livejournal.com 2008-11-17 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Mazol Tov!
Yeah for getting the play on a stage. That is so wonderful. May you have many wonderful years seeing it on the stage again and again.
May be it will even eventually have a touring company and I'll get a chance to see it! Now that's thinking big! :)

[identity profile] ellen-kushner.livejournal.com 2008-11-19 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
There is some notion that the play could be sub-licensed for local productions in other cities - so Cherish the Dream!