“Red, White, & Blaine," a stage tribute to the cult classic film, "Waiting For Guffman," will be performed at the Chicago-based improv theatre iO this coming January.
The parody production is created and directed by Jeff Griggs, a fan of the cult-favorite mockumentary about a community theatre that stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Parker Posey alongside writer and director, Christopher Guest.
Although the 1997 film grossed only about $3 million, this story of Corky St. Clair and his ragtag band of community theater misfits dreaming of Broadway stardom became a cult favorite and Griggs is among one of the films biggest fans.“Red, White, & Blaine,” is the ultimate stage tribute to the film, named for the musical within the movie, a historical pageant celebrating (fictional) Blaine, Missouri, in honor of that town’s150th anniversary.
The production almost didn’t happen, however, as the troupe wasn’t sure there was enough of an audience. Sold-out crowds have quieted those initial doubts and people come wearing T-shirts from the film. "‘Waiting for Guffman’ is like ‘Rocky Horror’ for theater people,” said Mr. Griggs, who recently spoke to the New York Times.
While the Chicago production leans heavily on the movie’s screenplay, there are only 13 minutes of footage showing “Red, White, & Blaine” in “Guffman,” so Mr. Griggs got creative. He incorporated three deleted scenes from the DVD extras, and added three numbers delivered as auditions in the movie.
The cast includes Brian Finlay, Robert Bacon, Bri Fitzpatrick, Jeannie Cahill Griggs, Sean Price, David Schwartzbaum, Jess Jones, Jonah Saesan, Alison Doyle and Chris Vellucci, all of whom improvise during the pre-show and throughout the performance.
"Red, White, & Blaine" will be presented Saturday nights at iO through Jan. 31, 2015. For more information or to buy tickets, click here.
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
