Beam Me Up, Scotty

The following revolves around the creation of an interactive murder mystery that has since been re-named MURDER: THE FINAL FRONTIER.

                Space...the very last place...these are the voyages of the Star Truck...Innerthighs...

So begins the latest interactive murder mystery comedy written by someone who needs no introduction, but is near and dear to all of your hearts...and if he isn't, he soon will be because...that's the kind of guy he is.

It's me, damn your eyes! Yes, I'm at it again or at least I was a few months ago when I first wrote this here piece o' work that is debuting this month for Mel O'Drama Theatre in the one and only Nashville, TN. (Even though this is my second time in Music City, it's so mind-blowing that something I wrote is playing in that iconic city)

The show in question is indeed STAR TRUCK; THE WRATH OF COMIC-CON. Set at a sci-fi convention called Imaginacon, a tribute to the classic TV show STAR TRUCK is underway with members of the cast including Leon Portnoy, the actor who is forever known as First Officer Mr. Spark, Jean Roddenreel, widow of the show's creator Dean Roddenreel and of course Captain James Tyrannosaurus Kork himself, the inimitable Wilson Chadwick. Also appearing at the convention is the star of STAR BOARS, Carrie Fishwich and someone who may or may not be an alien.

As you can tell unless you're not paying attention, this is all fodder for jabs at STAR TREK, STAR WARS

and basically all things in the geek universe which, in this day and age, pretty much everything. Of course. I include myself in these ranks, having been a geek since the day I first crawled the earth back...well, none of your damn business.. It is also a gold mine of comedic opportunities that I take as full advantage of as I possibly could given the parameters of the murder mystery format. There are digs are the aforementioned STAR shows as well as DOCTOR WHO, THE WALKING DEAD, LORD OF THE RINGS and so on and so forth. Plus I have concocted some of the very best (or worst) puns I have possibly ever concocted. If you think punning is lowest form of wit, well, you're half right. Which half, I don't know.

The inspiration for STAR TRUCK derives from the underrated classic GALAXY QUEST (1999), which brilliantly mined some of the same tropes, Mad Magazine's classic parody STAR BLECCH (love that title) and, of course, the SNL "Get A Life!" sketch starring William Shatner. The latter is undoubtedly the Genesis Project for the whole enterprise (wow, two references for the price of one!) Not only does it set up what I wanted to accomplish with this script, but it was also a turning point for Shatner himself. This was when he reinvented himself, understanding that he knew he was the butt of many a joke and now he was in on it too. He could make fun of himself and do it better. Oh yeah, he was Captain Kirk but now he became in full caps WILLIAM SHATNER and he never left. Therefore the victim of my murder mystery just had to be the William Shatner character. It was like MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Who killed Richard Widmark? Everybody! That's the spirit I wanted to convey. Who wants to kill Wislon Chadwick? Everybody! Hopefully, not the audience too.

The icing on this cupcake was that when I wrote in Shatner's voice, in his cadence and his goofy sensibilities, I had as much fun as I ever had creating a character. I love this guy and sure hope that it shows. I had some struggles concerning the passing of Leonard Nimoy that I wrote about earlier this year. (See blog post:  HIGHLY ILLOGICAL) Some of the other characters proved a bit more difficult to put together, but fortunately not Dewey Osgood, the host of Imaginacon who turns out to be the hero of the piece. I based Dewey on comedian Patton Oswalt, a kindred spirit and King of All Geeks. Patton's recent book SILVER SCREEN FIEND is a fantastic movie memoir, not unlike my own IN THE DARK but light years beyond in both style and substance. Carrie Fisher who has had a long gestating and ridiculous feud with William Shatner is obviously the model for Carrie Fishwich. Majel Barrett is Gene Roddenberry's widow, but I based her character on the role she played as Deanna Troi's mother on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. And I paid homage to Portland home-girl Katee Sackhoff's BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA Starbuck persona for Nirvana Nightengale.

Thanks to producer Melanie Roady of Mel O'Drama Theater for giving me another shot after last year's PERILS OF FRANCOIS. Recently Mel accepted the position of Executive Producer of the theater at Events on 3rd in Nashville. Good on her.  And a big shout-out to director Andy Johnson who played Pierre Perrier in FRANCOIS and another fellow geek, a perfect fit for this show. Finally to a cast that I'll not only never meet but never see perform my work in front of a (hopefully) live audience, I can only say in the grand tradition of theater...break a leg.

For myself, I'll hoist a toast on opening night from across the country. Here's to another original script under my belt. This is also the fourth production of one of my plays this year, one more than 2014. I would have had five, but the theater that had scheduled the show met with some very hard times, a result of the recent flooding in South Carolina. I wish them and everyone back there the very best.

It's been two years since I was first contacted by the Great American Melodrama to have one of my scripts performed which has led to this sudden resurgence as a playwright. It appears that the third act of my life I've been searching for is one that I'm writing myself. Imagine that.

So beam me up, Scotty. Oh, wait. That's me.


MURDER: THE FINAL FRONTIER IS NOW AVAILABLE AT OFF THE WALL PLAYS

Performance rights are available!

For info about my other scripts or even if you just want to send me a mash note (look it up, young 'un),
please e-mail me at: writenbysc@gmail.com

Highly Illogical

Leonard Nimoy's passing reminded us all the indelible mark STAR TREK has made on the world. The message of hope and compassion in Gene Roddenberry's creation has contributed to its legacy, especially when delivered by Nimoy as the iconic character of Mr. Spock. This Vulcan entered the immortal realm of modern folklore, a tribute to the actor who portrayed him, a man who conducted his own life with both style and grace.

For me, the death of Leonard Nimoy presented a separate issue.

I have been immersed in penning another murder mystery script, not unlike last year's THE PERILS OF FRANCOIS, which debuted last summer for the Mel O'Drama Theater company in Nashville. This time around, unlike FRANCOIS' pre-fabricated concept, I started from scratch with an idea I've been kicking around for a couple of years. The setting is a comic book convention that features a salute to a parody of STAR TREK. The basic premise is that the William Shatner character is the murder victim.

One of the prime suspects was inspired by Leonard Nimoy and most certainly Mr. Spock. Since the cast size is extremely limited due to a stipulation with the producer, this character was the most likely choice for inclusion besides Capt. Kirk. The difference between my guy and the real deal was that my take on Spock/Nimoy is that he's basically a dick. I envisioned him to a jealous, spiteful sonuvabitch who would like nothing more than put Shatner/Kirk down for the count. In fact, I had been struggling with the ending when I settled on Spocknoy himself.

I had a deadline to meet. This script was originally set for last week, but since it had been postponed, I stuck it on the back burner for far too long. Ramping up again, I tried to complete it back year's end without success. And I had been put in the rareified position of having my show accepted sight unseen, so I had more than an obligation to finish it. I had an actual commitment with a director attached. So, I pushed it back to the end of February, one year to the day that I delivered FRANCOIS.

But as I raced toward the finish line, the first reports came over the wire about Nimoy being admitted to the hospital with chest pains. It didn't look good for him, especially with his previous history and his age of 83. I persevered on the script anyway, not out of insensitivity but more out of inevitability. Regardless of the outcome, I had to wrap this up in a timely matter.

Within a few pages away from the Big Reveal when the designated killer turned out to be.... Leonard Nimoy passed away. The world mourned. I had a sudden burst of conscience. Or rather, my half-conscious conscience woke up and smelled the Romulan ale. I stopped what I was doing and took a much-needed breath.

Selfishly, I thought about how this would affect me and more immediately, my script. I still had to complete my project, but now the possibility of Nimoy's imminent demise became a stark reality. Can I really go ahead and make fun of a beloved and recently deceased figure, even if it had no basis in truth?

Death has a way of spoiling the party. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, as the theoretical math equation states, but how much time? Do the wounds ever heal and if so, what about the scars they carry? 9/11 put the kibosh on everything for years and fourteen years hence, still gives us pause at its very mention in less than reverential terms, prompting the outcry of "Too soon!"

My friend Tom Amo, author of MIDNIGHT NEVER ENDS and FOREVER ME, recalled when he used to write and direct British farces at his theater in Stockton, California:

I started to  worry. Every time I wrote a celebrity reference in one of my plays, they died! Tammy Wynette in BOB'S YOUR AUNTIE....Ann Landers on opening night of BABY I'M YOURS...The other one really hit home was when we were doing RUN FOR YOUR WIFE at Smiler's (Comedy Playhouse), Princess Diana was killed. We had a matinee the following Sunday. It didn't hit us until we had a scene where the paparazzi breaks into the flat to get the photos...and suddenly there was silence from the audience....and you go, "Holy crap...this isn't funny right now. Yeow."

So I ended up rewriting the ending. Spocknoy was no longer the killer. It turned out to be the right thing to do. Was it out of respect? I suppose it was initially, but creatively it actually made more sense. It made everything flow together to a more satisfactory conclusion. He's still an insufferable bastard for the most part, but I gave him touch of redemption by show's end. And I met my deadline (no pun intended).

In all fairness, I can only admit to being a fleeting original cast STAR TREK fan ( actually more of a NEXT GEN-ner). However, I believe that Nimoy's lofty place in geek history is well-deserved. I leave the platitudes to those who could do so more honestly and definitely more eloquently than the poseur who's typing these words. I will attest that his passing and the love that poured out from his many admirers moved me enough to want to want something that he actually inspired in me that much better. And in the end, Leonard Nimoy will be remembered long after my silly little parody has come and gone and that's how it should be.

As Paul McCartney once sang:
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da
And don't forget to prosper.  

UPDATE 5/8/20: The show entitled STAR TRUCK: THE WRATH OF COMIC-CON  went on as scheduled later that year. It has since been re-named MURDER: THE FINAL FRONTIER, been produced across the country and published by OFF THE WALL PLAYS. Performance rights are available.

It's only logical.