Whenever a play comes to town written by Jamie Morris, I have to be in the audience. I’ve seen most of his works like Mommie Queerest, Silence of the Clams, The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode, and the last one I wrote about on here, Re-Designing Women (The Sugarbakers Are Back And In Rare Form – A Must See!) but last night I was able to see one of his newest creations, Gilligan’s Fire Island.
In a recent article, South Florida Gay News was able to ask Morris about “Gilligan’s Fire Island” as well as his other works.
“Half the work is already done because of the iconic characters,” explained Morris, who is generally attracted to shows that “strike a chord in pop culture. Even if you didn’t grow up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, you know the castaways. The formula for ‘Gilligan’s Island’ is foolproof,” said Morris on the telephone while shopping at “Crossdress for Less,” his nickname for discount retailer Ross. “Each episode features a guest star that gets stranded on the island with Gilligan and the gang,” he elaborated. “By the end, the guest gets rescued and (the castaways) don’t.”
In Morris’ reimagined story, Kyle Garcia stars as Cody Tanner, a young YouTube sensation who is taking the ferry to Fire Island for the first time. He’s giddy, until a careless drag queen knocks him overboard. Cody washes up on the beach only to be discovered by Gilligan, the Skipper, the millionaire and his wife, a movie star, the professor and Mary Anne, to borrow the line-up from the show’s familiar theme song.
Award-winning South Florida actor Mike Westrich is Gilligan, and the cast also includes Scott Travis (Skipper), Morris (The Howells), Trevor Peringer (Ginger), Ben Prayz (The Professor) and David Tracy (Mary Ann.) – southfloridagaynews.com
Needless to say, I was once again blown away by the writing, the improv, the perfection that was the acting by all cast members. It was live theater at its best. Ps … Ginger … you were amazing.
I’ll look forward to the next Jamie Morris production at the Empire Stage. Bravo. But that can be said about any production I have seen at the Empire Stage. I haven’t seen a bad show.
When I entered the theatre last Friday night, I did notice new seating platforms as well as a painted floor. David Gordon, Empire Stage owner usually opens the evening with a nice welcome as well as a mention of his ongoing fund raising for the animal shelter next door. This time David mentioned the new changes to the Empire Stage environment. What he said can be found on a GoFundMe page created for help.
Empire Stage needs your help! The city of Ft. Lauderdale is requiring that we make some very expensive changes to our quaint little theater. The scope and cost of these changes are a bit overwhelming. Our desire is to keep supplying the community with fun and edgy theater for years to come. However, this may be impossible without your help! The amount that we are trying to raise is just a portion of the total cost. Any amount of money is helpful and greatly appreciated. – GoFundMe.com
If you are a fan of the arts, keep an eye out for a Jamie Morris production. And if you are a fan of local theater, think about visiting GoFundMe.com and donating a little or a lot to Empire Stage. David has set a goal of $12k for the GoFundMe campaign, even though the repairs are around $50k.
See “Gilligan’s Fire Island” by Jamie Morris, July 15 – Aug. 14,
Thursday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.
Tickets $35 at EmpireStage.com.
1140 N. Flagler Dr.
Fort Lauderdale, FL