This April, Mile Square Theatre, the company that brought to Hoboken Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, will present Y York’s adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Junglebook story The Garden of Rikki Tikki Tavi.
York’s adaptation dramatizes the conflict between Nag the Cobra and Darzee the Taylor Bird, Chuchu the Muskrat, and Rikki the Mongoose. Darzee, the diva, is incensed when Rikki washes up in her pristine garden. She and Chuchu attempt to run off the pesky, cheerful mongoose, until they see the cobra Nag run in fear when Nag discovers that a mongoose is loose. This comedy about sharing, cooperation, and growing up will appeal to audiences 4 years and older. The production brings back the creative team responsible for Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and will be performed by a talented cast of 4 professional actors.
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Creative Team/MST Staff
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The Garden of Rikki Tikki Tavi is directed by Mile Square Theatre’s Artistic Director Chris O’Connor. A decade-long artistic associate of Seattle Children’s Theatre and a member of the Theatre faculty at Rutgers University, Chris directed MST’s production of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. His plays for young people have been produced at theatres and schools in the Puget Sound area and his play The Mascots will be feature in the Best 10 Minute Plays of 2011 by Smith & Kraus.
Joining the design team is scenic designer Jen Price Fick (winner of two New Hampshire Theatre Awards for best scenic design), a busy designer in regional theatres in the northeast who was assistant designer for Eugene Lee’s scenery in the Broadway production of You’re Welcome, America: a final night with George W. Bush, with Will Ferrell. Jen designed the set for Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. MST resident designer Matthew Fick (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors), who recently designed the set for MST’s production of A Christmas Carol, designs lights, and Melanie Burgess, (Seattle Opera, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Intiman Theatre) designs costumes.
Casting has just completed and Mr. O’Connor has assembled a talented cast of professional actors, all conservatory-trained, who work in regional theatre, off-Broadway, and on film and television. In the role of Darzee is MST company member Blaire Brooks, well remembered as Lilly of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and for her work in Scapin and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While not gracing the MST stage, Blaire has worked in off-Broadway productions at Manhattan Theatre Club and The Public Theater, in commercials, and has appeared on Law & Order and the Guiding Light.
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He was born in Bombay, British India, and was taken by his family to England when he was five years old. Kipling is best known for his works of fiction, including The Jungle Book (a collection of stories which includes Rikki Tikki Tavi), Kim, many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King; and his many poems.
Y York's third-millennium plays include Eggs (People's Light & Theatre Company); and L.A. Is Burning (New Harmony Project, 2007, Main Street Theater, Houston, 2008); Getting Near to Baby (2008 People's Light & Theatre Company, Barrymore nomination for Outstanding New Play); River Rat and Cat (2006 ChildsPlay, Arizona); Nothing Is the Same (TCG-Pew Charitable Trust, 2004 Kennedy Center New Visions/New Voices Festival); Fork in the Road (Dramatic Publishing commission); The Forgiving Harvest (2004 AT&T: OnStage Award, 2004 People's Light & Theatre AATE Distinguished Play Award); Mask of the Unicorn Warrior (Rockefeller Foundation grant, Seattle Children's Theatre); Othello (4-character hip-hop adaptation); Krisit (2001 Primary Stages); In June 2006, York received the Hawai`i Award for Literature. She is a proud alumna of New Dramatists, member of The Dramatists Guild and still lives with Mark Lutwak to whom all things are still dedicated. For current information visit yyork.com.
The Garden of Rikki Tikki Tavi is sponsored by the generous support of The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Bijou Properties, Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Monroe Center for the Arts.
