Missions Unknown » Theatre

Comic Book Romance Comes Alive at The Overtime

Paul Vaughn — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:01:41 +0000

The Overtime Theater presents an onstage homage to comic-book romance. Adapted from actual romance comics from the 1960′s and early ’70′s, Sob Choke Love! 3D! will stage live versions of these classic, sappy stories in their full glory. The stories are acted out verbatim, comic book panel by panel, with all of the dialogue that scintillated then and disturbs now. The past two incarnations of Sob Choke Love! have been selected as “one of the best shows of 2008 and 2009″ (San Antonio Express-News) and called “strange and hilarious” (UTSA Paisano). This year, Sob Choke Love! 3D! will include two short stories and one long-form romance told, Rashomon-style, from three different perspectives. The ensemble cast includes Matthew Arch, Sophia Bolles, Lilly Canaria, Cary Farrow, Matthew Sinclair, Theresa Ronquillo, and Lucy Villanueva. Sob Choke Love! 3D! is directed by Kathleen Lovejoy and Sophia Bolles.

Showtimes are 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays starting February 12th. Two Sunday shows are scheduled for Feb. 14 (a special 8 pm Valentine’s Day Show with champagne and chocolate reception – $30/couple) and Feb. 21 (3 pm). Ticket prices are $12 general admission, and $9 for teachers, students, seniors 65+ and SATCO members. The Overtime is downtown in the Blue Star Arts Complex at 1414 S. Alamo St., Suite 103.

It’s December…Where’s My Dickens?

Paul Vaughn — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:52:18 +0000

It’s December, and you know what that means…it’s the time of year for the most famous ghost story of all: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Sure, you may be heading to the multiplex to catch Disney’s latest version starring multitudes of Jim Carreys, but if you are looking for a different take this year we have hook up for you…courtesy of some of San Antonio’s quality local theatre groups.

First, you can head over to the Jump-Start Performance Company and enjoy Ebenazio: A Winter’s Tale of Old San Anto. This is a staged reading created by Kim Corbin, Robert Rehm & Chuck Squier.

It’s 1731, and an unlikely menage of Payaya natives, Franciscan padres, Canary Islanders and Spanish soldiers struggle to bring San Anto together as winter approaches. Can they make peace? Will they make love? And what about the Chihuahua?

Discussion y ponche follow each performance of this staged reading, which is a part of the Electric Performance Lab.

The performance runs two days only: Saturday, December 5 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $10. Jump-Start Performance Co. is located at 108 Blue Star, 78204, in the Blue Star Arts Complex in lovely San Antonio, Texas. Telephone: 210-227-JUMP (5867).

Next, we have the Overtime Theater‘s performance An Actor’s Christmas Carol: A Holiday Panto? opening Thursday, Dec. 10.

An Actor’s Christmas Carol is a brand-new show cooked up by the Overtime regulars for you to enjoy … especially those who love a good-natured poke at community theater!

On the eve of the final dress rehearsal of A Christmas Carol, the spoiled star of the show is visited by the Three Ghosts of Acting. Can the arrogant devo change his ways before it is too late and he is resigned to Actor’s Hell? Come see for yourself in An Actor’s Christmas Carol, a delightfully silly Holiday Panto that is showing only at the Overtime Theater. The show is stuffed full of pop culture references and jokes about community theater. Directed by Roy Thomas and written by Scott McDowell.

Showtimes: Two weekends only, Dec. 10-13 and Dec. 17-20. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays and 3 pm on Sundays. Tickets: $12 general admission and $9 for teachers, students with current ID, and seniors 65+. Location: The Overtime Theater, at the Blue Star Arts Complex, 1414 S. Alamo, Suite 103, San Antonio TX 78210. For Reservations or More Information: check the Overtime’s web site or call (210) 557-7562.

Weird Props and Comics on Sale at The Overtime Tonight

Paul Vaughn — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:28:14 +0000

Hey! Got some weird friends and you never know what to kind of presents to give them? How about some unique handcrafted props from the Overtime Theater? You can get ‘em this week only at our old location, 1216 West Avenue (corner of West and Olmos Avenues)

As they pack up for the move to their new location in the Blue Star Arts Complex, the Overtime Theater is offering a one-time-only sale of its collection of weird props from Sob Choke Love, Frankenstein in Love, Poet Faustus, and many more original plays! Plus we have thousands of comic books, regular books, movie projectors, and more unusual items at extremely reasonable prices.

Come check out the goods at 1216 West Avenue, San Antonio TX — 7-10 pm Wednesday!

Made in SA: The Brain That Wouldn’t Die at the Overtime Theater

Mission Control — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:00:23 +0000

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die shows at the Overtime Theater in San Antonio through Halloween night, October 31, 2009. This original musical production was written by Jon Gillespie and directed by Michael Burger and the cast includes Christie Walheim, Robert Jerdee, Jules Vaquera, Cary Farrow and Roy Thomas. We sent the Missions Unknown cameras to the Overtime and spoke with the brains behind The Brain.

Catch the show tonight, Saturday, Thursday or next weekend only. Sample a slice of brain during intermission while trying not to lose your head like Jan in the Pan. It’s a perfect Halloween-themed date. The Overtime Theater is at 1216 West Avenue (at Olmos). Call (210) 380-0326 or visit www.TheOvertimeTheater.net for tickets.

Only Two More Weeks to See “The Brain”

Paul Vaughn — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:11:28 +0000

The Brain That Wouldn't Die Poster

The Overtime Theater’s production of The Brain That Wouldn’t Die is playing tonight and you will only have this week and next to see this hilarious show. It’s 1959 Sci-Fi/Horror meets Comedy/Musical in a way that audiences have loved. This all-original show is a must-see for San Antonio Science Fiction and Musical Theater fans.

You can read my review of The Brain That Wouldn’t Die here on Missions Unknown and stay tuned tomorrow because we will have more about The Brains and the brains behind the show.

Review: The Brain That Wouldn’t Die

Paul Vaughn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:41:53 +0000

I'll have what he's drinking

I caught a performance of the Overtime Theater’s production of The Brain That Wouldn’t Die: A New Musical this weekend and it was a very fun show. Funny and sexy, the show delivered a rollicking good time with genuine laughs from the audience and a sense of awe at the the talent gathered for this production.

One cannot help drawing a comparison to another bad cult horror film turned musical, Little Shop of Horrors. Like The Overtime’s Brain, Little Shop of Horrors started life as a cheesy 1960 B&W comedy/horror film (by schlock legend Roger Corman) that was later turned into an off-Broadway musical. The original The Brain That Wouldn’t Die was filmed in 1959, but its comedic value was unintentional. The movie was so bad that one could not help but laugh.

Clearly the mad men at the Overtime did more than laugh, they saw the germ of a new production. Jon Gillespie‘s script and lyrics are quite funny and the actors helped tremendously by breathing a lot of life into his words. The music by composer Philip Luna (Fear Snakeface, Shit City Dreamgirls) was generally unobtrusive, but really shined in the SciFi incidental music that lent a 1959 movie atmosphere. Director Michael Burger and Producer Jon Poole tied everything together nicely.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die Poster

Standouts include Christie Walheim as Jan, the Brain mentioned in the title of the show. Not only does she have a great voice and presence on stage, but that she can maintain such through the majority of the show as a disembodied head is incredible. Robert Jerdee as Dr. Bill Cortner, while not the most stellar vocalist, added a brilliant comedic take to his diabolical “man with the miracle smile”. The scene after the car wreck was a particular highlight with Jerdee lampooning 1950s smoking habits. Jules Vaquera as Doris displayed some powerful pipes and Cary Farrow as Kurt (think Igor without the hump) practically stole the show with this comedic timing and dance moves. The entire ensemble was clearly having fun with the show and this was certainly contagious. Extra props to Roy Thomas whose fall from grace as the title character in Buddha Swings to Dr. Cortner’s father to hamming it up as a cat-fighting drag queen is hilarious.

This show is totally worth seeing. Avoid the front row if you want to stay completely dry, but the advertised “slishy-splashy fun” effects were not so extreme that you’ll need a change of clothes or the plastic sheeting required in a Gallagher show. Tickets are a reasonable $12 ($9 for students and educators). You can purchase soft drinks and brain slices in the lobby and you are welcome to bring your own libations to enjoy with the show. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die: A New Musical runs through October 31st and is something no SciFi fan in San Antonio should miss. This is the kind of production that could really go places!

World Premiere: The Brain That Wouldn’t Die!

Mission Control — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:37:56 +0000

We’ve been waiting for this! Considered one of the cult classics of bad movies, The Brain That Wouldn’t Die is an American film in the public domain that has enough melodramatic action, ludicrous dialogue, and incidental gore to make it perfect for adapting to the stage…and even turning into a musical! The Overtime Theater does just that, presenting the world premiere of The Brain That Wouldn’t Die: A New Musical, opening October 2 and playing through October 31, 2009.

The plot of the 1959 sci-fi/horror flick is simple: a brilliant young surgeon, Dr. Bill Cortner, is convinced that he can save his bride-to-be, Jan, who has been decapitated in a fiery car crash. The doctor uses his experimental adrenoserum to keep Jan’s head alive in a pan while he looks for a suitable replacement body to transplant.

Dr. Cortner has little time – just one weekend – and his search takes him to strip clubs, a beauty pageant, and finally the studio of a figure model with a badly scarred face. Meanwhile, Jan is horrified at being kept alive in her state and wants revenge on her insane fiancé. She discovers that the serum gives her telepathic powers to communicate with and control the hulking Thing in the Closet – “the sum total of Dr. Cortner’s mistakes.” And so revenge will be hers….

I'll have what he's drinking...

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die comes from the same San Antonio theater that produced another cult-movie-turned-musical, Sheer Bloody Lunacy! (selected as “one of the Best Shows of 2008” by the San Antonio Express-News). It will contain all of the overcooked dialogue, melodrama, and cheesy special effects of the movie, plus original songs, choreography, and much more!

Several themes run through the movie that are relevant today, such as body issues and the limits of technology and medical research to “make things right,” and these themes are explored in the musical as well. What if you’re in a relationship with someone who is determined to help you – to “fix” you – whether you want their help or not?

Show Dates & Times: October 2-31, 2009. 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays, with two 8 pm Thursday shows (Oct. 22 & 29). The October 31 show will be a Halloween extravaganza with a “Mad Science Ball” party and costume contest after the show!

Ticket Prices: $12 general admission, $9 for teachers, students with ID, and seniors 65+. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online using PayPal at http://theovertimetheater.net/brain.htm.

Location: The Overtime Theater, 1216 West Avenue (corner of West Ave. and W. Olmos), San Antonio, TX 78201. Contact the Overtime by email or 210-380-0326 for reservations or more information.

A scene from "The Brain That Wouldn't Die"

The Overtime Theater was founded in 2006 by John Poole, a San Antonio theater veteran who sought to create a theater “for people who don’t usually go to theater” (San Antonio Express-News). The Overtime is dedicated to providing innovative and accessible entertainment at an affordable price. The shows are all new, original works, or new adaptations of old classics. The Overtime specializes in world premieres of works never before seen on stage! Past productions have included All Kinds of Hot, The Good Samaritan, Johnny Gets Sick, Poet Faustus, Sheer Bloody Lunacy, two acclaimed versions of Sob! Choke…LOVE!, Lear, Pirates vs. Ninjas: The Musical, What Will Happen, and most recently, the world premieres of Buddha Swings and Action Philosophers!

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die is directed by Michael Burger, a theater teacher at Taft High School who has also been a regular performer in the Overtime’s mainstage and improv productions. He acted in Sheer Bloody Lunacy!, among many others, and The Brain That Wouldn’t Die is his first directorial effort at the Overtime. Michael graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) with degrees in theater and education.

Composer Phillip Luna drew on his long experience as a musician and bandleader to work up the original music for The Brain That Wouldn’t Die! Phillip’s current and past bands, which can be found playing around S.A. on a regular basis, include Fear Snakeface, Royal Punisher, Psychics, Worm, Def Space, and the legendary Taco Land house band, Shit City Dreamgirls. Phillip also composed the music for Sheer Bloody Lunacy! and displays his diverse artworks at local galleries throughout the year.

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die is the second effort of writer/lyricist Jon Gillespie to transform an old cult movie into a stage musical, as he also co-produced, adapted and wrote the lyrics for Sheer Bloody Lunacy! Jon has been a professional writer and editor for over 25 years, including a four-year stint as editor for an alternative newspaper (when he got paid to listen to loud music and hang out in bars).

This show is definitely one you will not want to miss. San Antonio’s Science Fiction and Cult Movie fans should pack the house at the Overtime!

Free “Turkish Star Wars” & JLA at The Overtime

Paul Vaughn — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:01:35 +0000

Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam AKA Turkish Star Wars

After Saturday’s final performance of Action Philosophers, those crazy cats at The Overtime Theater will be showing a pair of rare cheesy movies that you don’t want to miss.

We’re talking about two gloriously weird, stupendously bad flicks. First up is Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (The Man Who Saves the World), better known as ”Turkish Star Wars.” This 1982 film is infamous for its illegal use of Star Wars footage. In Turkey at the time, American films were difficult to come by so many were remade with a Turkish cast and setting. Other notable films to get this treatment were The Wizard of Oz, The Exorcist and E.T.

This film is Mystery Science Theatre bad. It currently rates number 62 on the IMDb Bottom 100 list of all-time worst films!

The second fromage feature is the 1997 TV movie Justice League of America. While the Justice League is currently riding high, this film is a TV pilot produced by CBS that was never made into a series and the reasons are obvious. It features DC Comics superheroes Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Ice, Fire and Atom versus The Weatherman. I’m sure David Ogden Stiers (Martian Manhunter) and Miguel Ferrer (The Weatherman) aren’t putting this one at the top of their résumés.

You won’t find these flicks showing anywhere else in town! You could certainly try to scrounge up these cinematic oddities yourself, but watching them at home by yourself on a Saturday night would be pathetic. Watching them with friends at The Overtime is sure to be a blast.

The Saturday September 19th screenings are FREE, but donations are gladly accepted. And, you can BYOB! The Overtime Theater is at 1216 West Avenue. You can call them at (210) 380-0326.

While on the subject of The Overtime Theater it is worth noting that they will have one last performance of their summer hit BUDDHA SWINGS. The popular swingtime musical about the life and teachings of Buddha returns for one more show. If you missed the sold-out summer run, make reservations now to see it! One show only, September 24, at 7:30 pm. Seating is limited, so please call 210-380-0326 or email them for reservations.

I took a date to see this show and it was a swingin’ good time. It’s highly recommended…and remember, you have to accentuate the positive!

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…Plato?

Paul Vaughn — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:30:19 +0000

Action Philosophers - Issue 2

The comic book series Action Philosophers astounded critics, comics readers, and philosophers with its hilarious and insightful look at the greatest Philosophers of Our Time, including Plato, John Stuart Mill, Ayn Rand, and others. Made possible by an exclusive contract with Evil Twins Comics, the creators of the comic books, the World Premiere stage version of this innovative and exciting work can be seen only at the Overtime Theater in San Antonio, Texas!

What? Gasp! Choke! A comic book without tights, superpowers or fuzzy bunnies? That’s right pilgrim, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey have created Action Philosophers! A hundred years of American comic-book storytelling combined with two of the most innovative creators in the U.S. graphic novel industry and the finest thinkers the planet has ever seen has produced a comic that the mad thespians at the Overtime just had to turn into a live stage production.

They’re weird like that, but who can blame them! This stuff is great!!

Just look at the philosophers Fred and Ryan cover in the comic book series:

Aristotle, Bodhidharma, Joseph Campbell, Jacques Derrida, Renee Descartes, Epictetus, Sigmund Freud, Georg Hegel, Isaac ben-Luria, Thomas Jefferson, Carl Jung, The Kabbalah, Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard, Machiavelli, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, Nietzsche, Plato, The Pre-Socratics, Ayn Rand, Saint Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Jean-Paul Sartre, Schopenhauer, and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Wow. In a comic book. All those people.

When John Poole, the Blameholder of the Overtime Theater, read his first issue of Action Philosophers, the very first thing he did was read it again. And then again. Dunlavey and Van Lente’s ability to portray abstract concepts in simple, straightforward, and even entertaining ways is exactly the kind of art and literature the Overtime Theater wants to support, and of course, exploit financially for its own evil ends (just kidding, Fred and Ryan…mostly).

John craftily built a creative team for Action Philosophers by throwing a copy of the comic book at the targeted Theater person, and then running away. In about 10 minutes, they were begging to be a part of the project.

Rebecca Coffey took on the task of choosing which of the philosophers to portray in our stage production. She chose Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, Ayn Rand, Bodhidharma, and Plato for the different aspects of philosophy she felt they represented: Marx, political; Mill, personal; Rand, social; Bodhidharma, religious; and Plato, nature of the Universe. (And yes, the staff of the Overtime had a great time arguing over which Action Philosophers should be in the play. They are still arguing, but just cuz it’s so much fun.) In addition, these five stories show a sampling of the variety of storytelling techniques that Dunlavey and Van Lente use throughout their series.

The graphic novel, the world of philosophy, and the stage are the ultimate combination for a night of theater that will enlighten you, lighten your load, and amaze you with the accomplishments of our ancestors…not to mention the skill your neighbors have in sharing those accomplishments. And who knows, if you’re not careful, you just might learn something!

The Overtime Theater is located at 1216 West Avenue (West Ave & Olmos) in San Antonio. The show runs August 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, September 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, and 19, 2009. Showtimes are 8 pm Fridays and 9 pm Saturdays, with a 2:30 pm Sunday matinee and an 8 pm Thursday show. Ticket Prices are $12 general admission and $9 teachers, students with ID, and seniors 65+.

Find out more by visiting the Overtime Theater’s website, call 210-380-0326, or email theovertimetheater@gmail.com for information and reservations.

I recently checked out their current show, Buddha Swings. It was very entertaining and I’m sure Actions Philosophers will measure up. Head out to see the show and enjoy a night on the town in San Antonio’s Deco District.

Got What It Takes To Be A Singing Brain?

Paul Vaughn — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:01:59 +0000

The original "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" movie poster

The Overtime Theater has a new musical coming up and you could be a part of it! THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE is a new original horror/comedy/musical (and we need more of those) adapted from the ‘classic’ 1962 film of the same title. You may remember the film as the first movie that Mike Nelson watched on Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you don’t remember this nugget of cinema gold, you are in luck. This flick is now in the public domain and you can download it for free, legally, from the Internet Archive.

While the musical is not scheduled to be staged until October, the auditions start next week! If you are a singer/actor or actor/singer and have always wanted to be in a third-tier horror/sci-fi production then now is the time.

The setting is 1959 and a brilliant young surgeon is convinced that he can save his bride-to-be who has been decapitated in a fiery car wreck. The good doctor uses his experimental serum to keep her head alive while he looks for a suitable replacement transplant body. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die is brought to you by the same team that was responsible for Sheer Bloody Lunacy! including director John Poole, composer Phillip Luna, and producer/lyricist Jon Gillespie. It will contain all of the overcooked dialogue, melodrama, and cheesy special effects of the movie, plus original songs, choreography, and much more!

Auditions are Monday July 20th from 7-10pm at the Overtime Theater (1216 West Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78201). Auditioners must be 17 or older and prepare 32 bars of a 1950s or 1970s pop song or show tune and bring a CD for accompaniment. You should be prepared to dance and do a reading of the script as well.

The Overtime is looking for 2 women in their 20s or 30s, 2 Men in their 20s or 30s, 1 man in his 30s or 40s and an ensemble of approximately 8 men and women. All actors must be able to sing well.

Rehersals begin in August, so now is your time to be a part of a unique theatre experience. Check the Overtime Theater’s web site for additional details or call John Poole at (210) 380-0326.