Enchanted Rock Cabaret: Music, Dance, Nonsense and Creativity

— by Margie Doyle —

Enchanted Rock brings Teatro Titikookoo to the Seaview the first weekend in February

What the heck is Teatro Titikookoo and where is the Enchanted Rock?

Conceived and Directed by Grace McCune, Musical Director, Deborah Sparks, Nonsense Staging Director and Jake Perrine, Tech Designer and Staging Director, Teatro Titikookoo is a new show from that intrepid trio, now Enchanted Rock Productions. It builds on five years of special winter performances from a troupe of island performers that now includes Colleen Armstrong, Cali Bagby, Khadoma Colomby, Pam Evans, Stormy Hildreth, Mandi Johnson, Ed Laigo, and Chuck Silva. Newcomers to the Enchanted Rock are Stephen Fairweather at the piano, and Rock of Ages hit, Sky Weaver. Teatro Titikookoo also showcases dancers choreographed by Tiffany Loney, assisted by Katie Zwilling.

They join the storied Carmen (Grace McCune) and Dr. Livingstone (Jake Perrine) on another rocket ship adventure. This time, they started with brainstorming sessions inspired by the 1970s movie, “King of Hearts” when Alain Delon portrayed a young man who escaped from an insane asylum along with the rest of its inhabitants, to an uninhabited town. ‘We go through a new pair of doors,” says Sparks and the adventures in song, dance and nonsense follow.

In this technologically-driven age, fresh off the rocket ship, Robots (played by the dancers) envy and disdain the Artists (played by Rock on the Rock Choir members) in their midst. The Robots, seeking conformity, find the Artists too unmanageable, too “rogue.” While they are antagonists, the Robots also want to be Artists, to be part of their world. “Everyone wants to be an artist,” says Sparks, the creative director behind the production.

“The scenes are clever and the people who showed up really wanted to do this and they are batting it out of the park, “ McCune says.

Sparks add, “It’s a completely different way of presenting the Enchanted Rock cabaret; not quite linear, more of a musical tone.” That tone will come across via songs, arranged by McCune and many with new lyrics by Perrine, to include:
• “Put a Ring on It”
• “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay
• “Sound of Silence by Paul Simon
• “You Don’t Own Me’ the 60s hit by Carole King?
• “All that Jazz”

Backstage, Chris Brems designs the set, Kevin Colomby is Sound Engineer and Jeffrey Horton is Lighting Engineer, and Asifa Welch is wardrobe mistress. Aiding in the production of Teatro Titikookoo are Ingrid McClinton of the Sea View Theatre and Donna Laslo, Director of Orcas Open Arts non-profit, and Clyde Duke of Random Howse, where rehearsals have taken place — — they’re incredible,” McCune says.

For herself, Grace admits to “freaking out” about a month before the performance dates, with all the loose threads to weave together, but she says, “I always lose sight of the fact that I still have time; I have 30 days to work everything out. And it always does.

“Each [Enchanted Rock] show always becomes a family. We try new things, and put it out there, and we’re learning our craft. After the show we always feel like we did it; we gave the best show ever!”

Tickets are available at Darvill’s Bookstore and online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3212769. There will be tickets for sale at the Sea View in advance and on the days of the show, Feb. 1-4 at 7 p.m. The bar and lounge at the Seaview opens at 6 p.m.