Tonight is opening night in New York for the Thornton- based “Hell House,” an evangelical Halloween haunted house that’s being presented as a legit off-Broadway staging.
The New York theater community is paying attention. The Rev. Keenan Roberts, who conceived “Hell House” in 1995 for Thornton’s New Destiny Christian Center, will be profiled this week by The New York Times.
Roberts knows the Big Apple theater crowd will be a far cry from the friendly, fundamentalist crowds who have helped spawn 3,000 “Hell House” copycats at churches worldwide. He knows many secular theatergoers will be derisive, dismissive and even outright hostile when presented with cheerleaders having abortions and fetuses made of hamburger meat; with gay men being condemned to hell along with children who read “Harry Potter.”
“We anticipate that,” said Roberts. “But the message still needs to reach those who might mock it. Creating access in the lives of people is a much greater challenge for the church today than it has ever been, so the church has to stay on the cutting edge. This is a great way to do that because theater is the great communicator.”
Roberts was approached by the theater company Les Freres Corbusier to present his “Hell House” in New York, with the promise they would present his message faithfully and without irony. That wasn’t the case in 2004, when a Los Angeles company staged “Hollywood Hell House” as a parody.
“But even though their intentions were to harm the message and the ministry by trying to humiliate it and make fun of it,” Roberts said, “it still took the exposure of ‘Hell House’ to new levels. I believe the message is what is sacred. The method is not.”
Les Freres Corbusier is not religious; its interest is in performing a grand theatrical experiment. “It’s certainly different to be talking to people in New York about what they want to do with it, because their bottom line is not seeing people have a life change, which is what we are interested in,” Roberts said.
“But if they present it true, and if their integrity is intact, and they present the message as it is intended, then the message will seek audience with anyone. It does not matter who the audience is.”
Black remembered
The theater community remembered Duane Black on Monday with a warm celebration hosted by Marcus Waterman that included remembrances from his “Greater Tuna” partner Bryan Foster and more than a dozen friends including Glenna Kelly and Gregory Price.
Indelible moments: Sarah Mae Johnson singing “You Can Fly,” written in Black’s memory by Martha Yordy. Claire Carson, who is just 14 but performed with Black three times, saying, “He’s just one of those invisible hands who helps you along in your life without making a huge deal out of it.” And Kathie Buckley of Colorado Greyhound Adoption reporting that more than 50 contributions totaling more than $3,000 have been made in Black’s name (303-816-2799).
A retrospective slide show of Black’s career has been posted at myspace.com/runninglines.
“Cabaret” soldiers on
Town Hall Arts Center’s four-star “Cabaret” already has faced four hospitalizations, two involving Kit Kat Girl Amanda Earls alone. First a kidney stone, then last Friday, Earls tripped backstage and fell on a footlight, cutting her head and chipping her two front teeth. Within seconds she was on stage, bleeding throughout the opening number, after which director and star Nick Sugar insisted she be taken by ambulance to the hospital. The game Earls was back in the show the next night.
A few days later, at home, fellow Kit Kat Girl Shanna Meek noticed a discoloration that turned out to be a fracture in her foot. She has been replaced by Monique Jacques.
“Its been amazing how this cast has rallied to keep this production going,” Sugar said.
Briefly …
The Arvada Center’s expansion celebration is slated for Nov. 5, and the new black-box theater will open Dec. 5 with “Sister’s Christmas Catechism,” which is part of the “Late Night Catechism” trilogy. Arvada Center executive director Deborah Ellerman has resigned and has been replaced on an interim basis by deputy city manager Bill Ray …
Thursday is opening night for the Broadway revival of “A Chorus Line,” which will be a big night for Denverite Michael Gorman, who directed the show for Town Hall Arts Center earlier this year. He’s assistant choreographer and dance captain for the Broadway staging under the legendary Baayork Lee …
Local playwright Ellen K. Graham, whose “How We May Know Him” will be staged by the Paragon Theatre next spring, is the screenwriter of “Here Come the Brides!” a comedy about gay relationships that will screen at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Bug Theatre (3654 Navajo St.) Its cast includes Emily Paton Davies, now starring in Modern Muse’s “Turn of the Screw,” and Paragon’s Warren Sherrill. $7 (303-837-0351) …
And finally, the Denver City Council recognized retiring Denver Center for the Performing Arts founder Donald R. Seawell on Monday with a proclamation from Councilwoman Judy Montero. “By any measure,” said Councilman Charlie Brown, “it’s amazing what this guy has done.”
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
This week’s theater openings
THU-OCT. 28|Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Amadeus” (at the Stage Theatre)
THU-NOV. 25|Theatre Group’s “Debbie Does Dallas” (at Theatre on Broadway)
FRI-OCT. 15|Performance Now’s “My Fair Lady”|LAKEWOOD
FRI-NOV. 18|Carousel Dinner Theatre’s “The Full Monty”|FORT COLLINS
FRI-NOV. 4|Victorian Playhouse’s “The Weir”
This week’s theater closings
TODAY|Lake Dillon’s “The Man From Nebraska”|DILLON
TODAY|Arvada Center’s “Souvenir”
TODAY|openstage etc.’s “Swimming in the Shallows”|FORT COLLINS
OCT. 6|El Centro Su Teatro’s “Serafin: Cantos y Lagrimas”
OCT. 7|Shadow’s “Plenty of Time”
OCT. 8|Germinal Stage Denver’s “Tartuffe: Born Again”
OCT. 8|Evergreen Players’ “Proof”
