New Millennium Theatre Company of Chicago

Lumpkin's Big Top

Written and Directed by Thurston Cobb
March 22, 2002 - May 5, 2002
The Theatre Building

CAST

Announcer	J. Preddie Predmore
Lumpkin the Clown	Ed Gass*
Giggles the Clown	Susan Wingerter
Lightning the Clown	Jonathan Peck
Pizza Boy Jesus	Ryan P. McCabe
Ms. Richards	Leslie Kerrigan*
Poppo	Michael Kuya
Boppo	Jonathan Webb*
Joppo	Nikolai Todorov
Understudy	Heather Sanderson

CREW

Director	Thuston Cobb
Stage Manager/ Sound Designer	Deanne Dalgaard*
Set Deigner	Gina Ann Cirolia
Lighting Designer	Allison Schaffer*
Costume Designer	Imma Curl
Marketing & PR	Leslie Kerrigan*
Running Crew	Chad Wise*

*Denotes New Millennium Theatre Company Member

Director's Note

REVIEWS

AtTheTheatre.com by Kevin O'Donnell

Thurston Cobb Premiere
New Millennium Theatre Company

Lumpkin's Big Top, by Thurston Cobb, is the first work of this new writer, as well as his debut as a director. Cobb has a definite knack for writing dialogue as well as a crystal ball for timeliness of material. Ostensibly about a popular clown children's show, Lumpkin's Big Top is really about the destruction of career dreams. Cobb has directed this medium dark comedy to be a show that ultimately smiles. But the contemporary power of the theme is in search of deeper audience engagement. With just a little polish, this big top should find an audience.

Economical, but fully developed characters, are the needed polish here. The current Lumpkin Big Top includes Lumpkin (Ed Gass), a clown and recovering alcoholic, Giggles (Susan Wingerter), a clown and Lumpkin's love interest, and a sidekick clown, the none too swift, Lightning (Jonathon Peck). There's also an announcer (J. Preddie Predmore), Ms. Richards (Leslie Kerrigan), a beautiful young producer, a pizza boy (Ryan P. McCabe), and Siamese Triplets (Michael Kuya, Jonathan Webb, Nickolai Todorov).

Animal imagery could develop character here. For example, the slow 'Lightning' could be put on a quest to transform himself into a strong and knowledgeable eagle. A newly minted Zen like eagle would in the end tell the audience " he who thinks slowest, laughs last."

Change of name can also develop character. The symbolism of siamese characters, with Marx Brothers 'O' endings in their names, is lost in their trip to the bathroom. As long as the theme of this show is the destruction of career dreams, and as long as these characters are conjoined triplets, let's call the triplets Enron, Anderson, and MLF, for mythical law firm. Not quite sure here about animal imagery. The announcer and the audience should have some ideas.