Prodigal Sun Productions is at it again. The vagabond troupe of thespians in Olympia is presenting the adult comedy “Don Juan in Chicago,” by David Ives.
The show is about a man suffering in his own sort of hell by actually getting what many men only dream about receiving.
Don Juan wants more time to dedicate to his own pursuits and makes a deal with the devil to do just that. He becomes immortal. The deal with the devil comes at a cost, however, and the man who would become a legendary lover finds himself with the curse of having to sleep with a different woman each day and never sleeping with the same woman twice. And he can’t pay a professional for her services. He has to score on his wit and wisdom alone. So the legend is born. It seemed like a great idea at the time when the young virgin had wild oats to sow. That was back in 1599. But he has plowed a few fields since then and has since found himself in the arms of more women than Wilt Chamberlain, who boasts having had sex with 10,000 women during his legendary career in the NBA.
Flash forward to modern-day Chicago, and the Don and his earthy servant, Leporello, are weary of the whole deal with their never-ending love fest. They can never have deep relationships with women because they spend too much time and energy finding the next target to seduce to learn much more than their first names.
As attractive as their deal sounded centuries ago, the thought of new strangers to bed as dusk comes has long grown past its charm.
Ives wrote the dialogue in rhyming couplets, so the actors have this wonderful air of formality and educated gentry as they chat about banging chicks and sowing seeds.
"Some of the rhymes he comes up with are clever," Prodigal Sun organizer Elizabeth Lord says, noting that she plays the role of Sandy. "Every line has to be heard."
Who is Sandy you ask? Well, she is a woman Juan plucked years prior and unknowingly sets out to bed again. Primed for another conquest, Juan learns not only of his potential double dipping but that there was a child linked to the last time he dipped his toes into Sandy’s waters. The plot thickens from there.
The show runs at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday through Feb. 23 at The Midnight Sun Performance Space, 113 N. Columbia St., in downtown Olympia. Tickets are $7 to $15 at door or at www.buyolympia.com/events.
Dash out to see this
Another show of note this week is at D.A.S.H. Center this weekend. D.A.S.H. — which stands for Dancing, Acting, and Singing in Harmony — is the resident arts and expression effort on Tacoma’s Hilltop and provides training and performance opportunities focused on developing skills, confidence and creativity among African-Americans and other underrepresented communities in the City of Destiny. Its mission is to provide readily available and affordable dance, voice and theatrical training to help children develop their talent and acquire the skills necessary for the performing arts.
More than 30 cast members from all over Pierce County will be featured in “Now That’s What We Call Music” tonight through Sunday at Mt. Tahoma High School Theatre.
The show features more than 25 live musical and dance numbers and portrays dialogue between different generations about similarities in music. Tickets are $8 for youth and $12 for adults over 18 years. Tickets are available in advance for reduced pricing by calling 253.572.DASH and also will be available at the door.
Steve Dunkelberger has covered the South Sound theater scene for 14 years. He can be reached at viewfromthecheap seats@bigfoot.com or at his virtual voice mail at 320.216. 5007.
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