Students from the Marble Charter School are putting on a staged reading of The Middle World – and audiences have just one chance to catch this musical, which is based on the novel written by Nicole Beinstein [BYNE-steen], who also co-wrote the show.
KDNK’s Hattison Rensberry asked Beinstein about the story, and the process of adapting it into a musical.
"Beinstein:
It's about the history of Redstone and the Redstone Castle combined with magic realism. So there are real characters and there are also fictional characters in this story. I do feel like Lady Bountiful, she's. One of the main characters in the story and she was my inspiration for Book one and I felt like she really wanted her story told, cuz we always hear about John Osgood, but we don't really hear as much about her and she wanted her story told. Sometime passed, and I connected with Ariana Maus of 13 Moons Ranch and Redstone General Store. And she was interested in turning this into a play. And so she commissioned a young woman named Alexandria Basso to write the play. And then I connected with Jesse Young in Marble this summer, and she agreed to write the music for the play because one of the characters sings. That's her supernatural power. So it, it was really great to have some music. So we have original songs as well in the piece.
Rensberry:
That is so cool. How have the students reacted to performing a piece that's inspired by the area they live in?
Beinstein:
Some of them are really excited about it.
Many of them have read the book too, so they're familiar with the story and I think they love that it's so familiar to them. Of course, different students react differently and some are more excited than others, but we have every single student involved.
Rensberry:
Is there anything else that people should know about this show?
Beinstein:
So I'm super grateful for all the pieces that have come together to make this possible. It's really an exciting show, and I hope that this is just the very, very beginning of its life."
The show is at the Redstone Inn tomorrow night at 7, and tickets can be found on Eventbrite. Beinstein mentioned that the show is appropriate for most ages, but does have some heavier topics.
Sol Theatre Company’s Zeus on the Loose has been performed at local schools all week. The educational show about Greek mythology stars Julia Whalen and Josh Adamson. Thunder River Theatre Company in Carbondale hosts matinees of the production twice on Saturday and once on Sunday.
Rensberry herself plays Mary Shelley in Sopris Theatre’s production of the original musical, Frankenstein: The Monster/The Man?, which kicks off for a two-weekend run at CMC’s Spring Valley Campus tonight at 7. Two of the performances will be streamed. More details on tickets and showtimes are at ColoradoMtn.edu, or Sopris Theatre Company’s Facebook page.
