You have the pen to paper but the ink won’t flow. The characters are at a standstill and the time is ticking. You must have the next episode finished. What do you do? You conjure up your writing God and hope for the best! This is the premise for Beat on the Bard Theatre Company’s the Sensational Sans Sullivan Radio Hour.
Based on an adapted work by W.S. Gilbert, this soap opera, musical farce re-imagines the radio age by retelling the story of a group of characters that rebel against their authors’ choices for their fictionalized “real” lives. While the foundation is good and the bones for a great piece exist, more time is needed to fully embody the “sensational” effect of the piece. While there are some nice moments in a few musical stanzas and character scenes, the fullness of the piece and the energy required for such an endeavor is not wholly developed. Nevertheless, a few more runs and rehearsals and some directorial changes will definitely provide the sensation needed to make this piece a great soap opera shenanigan.
the Sensational Sans Sullivan Radio Hour plays through July 27, 2013 at Mountain-at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church – 900 Massachusetts Ave NW, in Washington, DC. For performance times and to purchase tickets, visit the show’s Capital Fringe Page.
