Paradise launches state premier

Theater group brightens holidays with Mel Brooks’ lively musical 'The Producers'

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

The theater is bustling with activity as men in suits and women in pink bodices and black stockings rush about with the tell-tale sound of tap shoes clicking across the floor with every step. It’s the night before Thanksgiving and the performers of “The Producers” are having their last dress rehearsal before the play opens.

“These heels are killing me,” Micheal Carr said as he pulled up his long black-and-white dress and scurried down the hall toward the men’s dressing room.

This isn’t the first time Carr has been in drag; Carr is a veteran thespian who just returned to theater about a month and a half ago after nailing down a real-life, single-parent role.

“The group that does production in this theater are some of the most talented people I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. “They have everything in this play from 15-year-olds to grandfathers.”

Carr jumped at the chance to nab the part of Roger DeBris in the state premier of “The Producers.”

“This is a world-class production,” he said. “I was thrilled to death.”

Obtaining the first Washington rights to the play was a windfall due to picking it up on a last-minute basis, said Jeff Richards, one of the theater’s artistic directors and CEO of the board.

“We were going to do ‘Beauty and the Beast’ but were having a lot of problems with the rights,” he said. “So we thought, ‘Let’s see if we can get the rights to ‘The Producers,’ since it closed on Broadway a little over a year ago.”

Richards said they tried to get the rights for the play four months ago, but at the time, it wasn’t available.

This time, not only was it available, but no one else was clamoring for it.

“We picked it late in the season, and by this time, most other theaters have already picked their season,” Richards said. “We thought we’d be the Puget Sound premier, but it turned out we are the Washington state premier.”

Actor Ryan Demerick thinks the popular play has a certain draw because so many people have seen the movie.

“It’s Mel Brooks,” he said. “And Gene Wilder was amazing.”

Demerick plays Leo Bloom in the play, one of the starring roles. Rusty Flounders plays Max Bialystock. This is Flounders’ first run with Paradise; he’s been rehearsing since mid-October.

“I was brought in by my character,” he said. “My character finally gets the girls. Lots of them.”

Carr was brought to Paradise by his friend, Andy Baker, who also was auditioning for the play. Baker’s grandmother made the gown that Carr wears and regularly creates costumes for the shows.

“I brought three generations into the theater,” Baker said. “My dad absolutely loves it. It’s a bridge that gaps these generations.”

Baker has been involved in community theater in Pierce and Kitsap counties and in Seattle, and he said the quality of theater in Gig Harbor is phenomenal.

“People are really into it here,” he said. “In Seattle, it was hard to find any community theater at all.”

“The theater gives people time away from their lives,” Carr said.

Baker added: “It gives them a chance to get away from reality and step into something fun for two hours.”

Being part of a production is also rewarding for the actors. They enjoy the camaraderie, energy and professionalism it offers, despite the stress and craziness.

“Theater is like a drug,” Baker said. “It’s like an addiction. You listen to the audience laugh and clap at the right time. And at the end, when they applaud and you know they enjoyed the performance, it makes it all worthwhile.”

The cast comes from all walks of life. Jonathan Bill teaches drama and American History at Peninsula High School.

“I practice what I preach,” Bill joked. “One of my students in the chorus kept trying to make me come and audition. Usually I’m too busy, but with this play, the rehearsal schedule worked out. If I had all the time in the world, I’d do much more theater, but I don’t.”

Bill plays “Franz,” whom he describes as a “nostalgic Nazi who would love to rewrite history.”

“It’s a perfect role for me,” he said. “I get to be crazy and sing. It’s not a starring role, so I don’t have the burden of their rehearsal schedule.”

Demerick is also no stranger to the art. He has worked with the Paradise group so much that he considers Jeff and Vicki Richards his surrogate parents.

“Jeff reminds me of my dad,” he said. “They have a wonderful attitude here. The classes are awesome, and Vicki is an amazing dancer. The kids that take these classes love them to death.

“It expands your mind when it comes to being an artist,” Demerick added. “It pulls them away from video gaming.”

Jeff and Vicki Richards met in Los Angeles at a non-equity theater on Sunset Boulevard.

“We were auditioning at a cabaret theater,” Jeff Richards said. “Vicki was a feature dancer in “Grease II,” and was taking a break from a promotional tour.”

The pair provided quite a bit of muscle with their combined backgrounds when they hooked up with Paradise Theatre in 2000. Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in directing and theater management. Vicki Richards hails from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

“Vicki is an excellent choreographer and really great working with young people,” Jeff Richards said. “We both came from theater backgrounds — Vicki working in big musicals — and I do a lot of directing and technical stuff.”

Paradise Theatre has been operating at its current location since 2006. The new facility opened up new possibilities for expansion, and the theater has added a dance studio, a rehearsal room and a music room.

“This used to be the education wing of a Christian Church,” Jeff Richards said. “The nicest thing about it is the size and the different rooms.”

Richards admits he misses the former theater, which was located in an old Victorian-style house on top of Peacock Hill. The building previously had been the Scandia Guard Restaurant, Richards said.

“It was so much fun to do dinner theater in there,” he said. “It had a commercial kitchen, and we had white linen and candlelight. We had our haunted house in there, too. It was a perfect setting in that big, old house.”

Richards said the building burned down shortly after the theater group vacated it.

“We left because it wasn’t going to be economical to keep up the house and the property,” he said. “We were sad to see it go. It had the potential to be a landmark — it was a beautiful piece of architecture.”

Reach Lifestyles Coordinator and reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.