“˜Nightmare Alley’ musical’s dark tones shed light on man’s destiny
Set on the personal lives of carnival performers and based on the William Lindsay Gresham novel of the same name, “Nightmare Alley” will be playing at the Geffen Playhouse from April 13 to May 23.
By David-Christopher Harris
April 12, 2010 9:25 p.m.
If you think you can’t change your destiny, think again.
At least, that’s according to the philosophy of director Gilbert Cates. Currently in the process of producing “Nightmare Alley,” an upcoming musical that questions a man’s motives for doing the things he does, Cates seeks to question the common perception of humanity that man is not in control of his own fate.
Previews of the show begin tonight at the Geffen Playhouse and will formally debut on April 21.
“Nightmare Alley” creates a sinister concoction of darkness and musicality as a backdrop for a widely diverse cast of characters, ranging from convict lead Stan to carnival tarot women.
“”˜Nightmare Alley’ is about why we do the things we do instead of what we know we should,” Cates said. “We have a road that we’re on in life, and we can get off that road … but we have to do it before it’s too late.”
Cates served as the founder and dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television from 1990 to 1998, and went on to become the founder and producing director for the Geffen Playhouse. He is also the secretary-treasurer of the Directors Guild of America and produced the 80th Annual Academy Awards for ABC in 2008.
Based off the eponymously titled book by William Lindsay Gresham, “Nightmare Alley” was turned into a musical by Jonathan Brielle, who said he wrote the script and music as an adaptation in a way that he felt truly captured the essence of the novel.
“The basic question was, “˜How does a man get so low?’ It really resonated in me so strongly that I felt it required music ““ it became something that inspired me. It’s a celebratory musical, dark, but upbeat. It’s meant to entertain, but it’s also hopefully going to hitch in the heart, to make you smile, laugh and cry,” Brielle said.
Cates and Brielle have invested more than 10 years to produce “Nightmare Alley,” spending significant amounts of time talking with the actors about what sort of tone their respective characters are supposed to convey. They paid specific attention to Sarah Glendening, who plays the outspoken lead female role of Molly.
“I really like the character, and Gil has made really sure to drive it home to me every single day at least once to keep this feisty attitude,” Glendening said. “It’s been really fun to find that fiery character in me, going from confrontational to flirtatious. … It’s fun to take it to work and explore that aspect.”
Character development is something that Brielle carefully scrutinized while writing “Nightmare Alley,” finding challenges in creating lead characters that refused to blend into any one stereotype.
“The greatest challenge for me was Stan Carlisle, the main character,” Brielle said. “In the book he’s despicable, but for me in this musical I was wondering, “˜How do you follow this guy?’ Truthfully, I needed to see him as if we were any one of us in that situation. … To me, “˜he’s a bad guy’ isn’t interesting. To me, it’s “˜what would I do if I were in his shoes?'”
Cates and Brielle’s time together on “Nightmare Alley” allowed them to work off of each other in order to formulate new ideas.
“We met in an interesting territory, and we were able to fulfill each others’ desires of what a musical should be. Gil has really been a highlight of my career, and we’ve become very good friends,” Brielle said.
Cates, too, holds Brielle’s composing abilities in high esteem.
“I love the story, I love what it means, but what I first fell in love with was the music,” Cates said. “Jonathan spent 10 years working on this project. … He’s a very gifted man. I responded to the music and felt that it was spectacular.”
While “Nightmare Alley” creates an unconventionally dark tone for a musical, the innovation aims to bring out the true theme of the performance ““ man’s destiny.
“It’s a substantial story that anyone can connect to, accessible to all walks of life,” Cates said. “I think they can expect an exciting journey ““ I hope that they’re ready to take it with us.”
