Timing is Everything

Comic genius Steve Martin explains the secret to comedy is “all about the… Time-t…ti-ming…. Timing!

I think success is very similar. I have tried to push through some projects and ideas only to hit a brick wall, resulting in complete failure, or frustration. But then there are other projects that seem to have a path cleared out before them. Even if there is a lot of work involved in following them through, there is a sense of “easy” to them.

Right now, one of the projects I am involved with is an adaptation of Charles Dickens classic tale “Oliver Twist”. This will be shown for a couple weeks run live on our stage at Rochester Assembly. I am re-writing it specifically for this production. Also our music director is writing new music for it. I am excited to see what we come up with!

We will be auitioning most of the parts. I have already chosen one actor to play one of the main characters. We will see who rises to the top this time around.

One of the reasons I opted for an original adaptation over a pre-existing version is because some of the characters and moments in the original Dickens novel are left out in many of the film and stage versions (including the Oscar winning film Oliver!). I want this version to be a touch darker and even deal with some of the more controversial material Dickens dealt with such as religious insensitivity, child abuse, the neglect of the poor, and basic love for the lower classes of society. But of course, true to Dickens form, there still needs to be plenty of humor and irony.

Will continue to update on this project!