Gold pumps, leopard prints are back again
Four-inch gold pumps, a Cher wig, a two-piece bathing suit, and a pair of leopard-print capri pants are just a few of the costume pieces that will be worn by John Kuntz and Rick Park when they open the revival of "After School Special" tonight.
"It's been 10 years since we last performed it, so some of the costumes smell like my basement," says Kuntz, a playwright and actor most recently seen in "Copenhagen" at the American Repertory Theatre. His plays include "Jasper Lake," "Jump Rope," and "Sing Me to Sleep."
"After School Special," which will be presented as a late-night offering by Company One at the Boston Center for the Arts, is a wacky bit of comic theater featuring a dozen characters (mostly played by Park) that manages to parody the after-school specials of the 1970s, slasher movies, and the quick character changes that helped launch Kuntz's career as a playwright.
Asked for his own description of the plot, Park says, "Well, it's about a girl named Janet who moves to Chicago and is forced by her mother to make friends quickly. At the same time, someone is killing all the teenage girls in a beauty pageant. After that, it just goes off into John Kuntz land - you know, crazy characters doing funny things."
Although Kuntz created the characters and wrote the story line, he says Park's contribution is invaluable.
"Once he walks in the room, the characters really come to life," says Kuntz. "He improvises and adds bits for them. I can't imagine doing it without him."
Originally staged for a late-night run by SpeakEasy Stage Company in 1998, Kuntz says it was well-received, but had no place to go. He took it out again last summer when Company One board member Victoria Marsh asked about it. At the time Kuntz was acting in the troupe's production of Noah Haidle's dark comedy "Mr. Marmalade."
Kuntz went back to the script and did some rewrites, and he's looking forward to having a series of well-known Boston actresses make cameo appearances for one murder scene ("I don't want to give it away, but Paula Plum is one of them," he says). But Kuntz says the significant changes happen during rehearsals with Park.
"This is really just an excuse to play with Rick," says Kuntz. "I'm not trying to change the world with this script."
The hardest work, says Park, comes during the chase scene. "It's not as easy," he says, "to race around the stage in four-inch pumps as it was 10 years ago."
"After School Special," tonight-Aug. 8 at 10:30 p.m. Tickets: $17. 617-933-8600, bostontheatrescene.com.
'New' at SpeakEasy
Paul Rudnick's comedy "The New Century" completes SpeakEasy Stage Company's five-show 2008-09 season, with "The Light in the Piazza," originally scheduled to run in January, moving to Sept. 19-Oct. 18. Running Jan. 16 to Feb 14, "The New Century" is a collection of short plays on gay life by the writer of the films "In and Out" and "Addams Family Values" and the play "Jeffrey."
SpeakEasy, in association with FortyMagnolias Productions and Boston Playwrights' Theatre, will also present the world premiere of "The Wrestling Patient" as a season bonus. Written by Kirk Lynn with Boston actress Anne Gottlieb and director Katie Pearl, it tells the story of a young Jewish writer named Etty Hillesum who confronted her own prejudices just as the Nazis were taking over her homeland of Holland. "The Wrestling Patient" runs from March 27 to April 11. Subcriptions: 617-482-3279, bostontheatrescene.com. . . . The American Repertory Theatre's production of "When It's Hot, It's COLE!,"has been extended through July 27 at The Zero Arrow Club. Tickets: $15-$52. 617-547-8300,amrep.org.
