LAUGHING WILD by Christopher Durang Directed by Miles Phillips

Scene 1: LAUGHING WILD Woman: Brooke Channon

Scene 2: SEEKING WILD Man: Brandon Karrer

Scene 3: DREAMING WILD Woman: Brooke Channon Man: Brandon Karrer

The action takes place in New York City, with characters existing simultaneously in the past, in the present, and in dreams. Run time: 100 minutes, performed without an intermission Please be advised there is a realistic-looking but non-functional gun used in Scene 3 along with gunshot sound effects

Fabienne Herold - Assistant to the Director Kevin Keaveney - Artistic Director, Soundboard Operator & Traffic Control

Laughing Wild is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

On The Title The phrase “laughing wild” occurs in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, in which Winnie, who’s always trying to remember her “classics” says: “Oh, well, what does it matter, that is what I always say, so long as one … you know … what is that wonderful line … laughing wild … something something laughing wild amid severest woe.”

Beckett and Winnie in turn are quoting Thomas Gray and his poem “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College,” in which the “something something” is “and moody Madness laughing wild amid severest woe.”

Director’s Notes

“Let me give up on feeling happy for now and just concentrate on breathing.”

After the remarkable experience of finding inventive ways to create socially distanced, site-specific/environmental theatre in collaboration with Kailua Onstage Arts while directing An Iliad during the extraordinary events that were unfolding this past fall, I really didn’t think there would be another play that would call to me while we continued to keep our physical distance and wait for a vaccine. Then Kevin Keaveney asked me to consider directing Christopher Durang’s Laughing Wild.

Like so many in the American theatre I’m crazy about master playwright Christopher Durang. But, like many, I’d never seen a full production of Laughing Wild. Most actors (always on the lookout for monologues) know portions of the two epic monologues that make up the first two thirds of the play. But since the play is set in the late 1980s, in New York City, and some of the names and current events referenced have faded from our collective memory, the play doesn’t appear to be produced as often as some of his more timeless works, like Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, The Actor’s Nightmare, or Beyond Therapy.

Yet in reading the play again, I was struck by how timely the play felt. Social anxiety, racial inequality, gender inequality, LGBT rights, religious oppression, new age spirituality, climate change, gun violence, polarizing politics, reality TV, and oh yes a devastating global pandemic. As Peter Allen sang, back in the 80s “Everything Old Is New Again.”

But even more, I was moved by the central theme of the play – the fundamental need we all have to connect, even in the face of what feels like insurmountable obstacles, whether real, imagined, or self-imposed – and the masks we wear as we navigate the comedy and tragedy of daily human existence in a modern society. Durang knows how to make us think and feel while he simultaneously makes us laugh out loud.

I am blessed to have two extraordinary actors, Brooke Channon and Brandon Karrer, bringing these two characters to vivid life, and in the process they get to use every crayon in the box. Their trust and artistry have made this experience pure joy. Throw in working with Kevin Keaveney on sound and props and the invaluable assistance of Fabienne Herold on book, and I can’t remember when I’ve had more fun.

So please sit back, crank up the radio, and join us on this WILD ride.

“And remember – always breathe. Even if I stop, you keep breathing out there, alright? Keep breathing.”

-Miles Phillips Meet the Cast & Production Team

Brooke Channon (Woman) When an actor (or actress) gets the chance to receive a one, two, three punch from the likes of Kevin Keaveney (Artistic Director), Miles Phillips (Director), and Christopher Durang (Playwright), all prolific theatre mavericks in their own right, she'd be downright crazy not to jump at the opportunity. As such, Brooke Channon was happy to receive a creative pummeling and is delighted to make her KOA debut with Laughing WIld. Other regional credits include: MVT's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, and DHT's Fox on the Fairway. She is eternally grateful to her partner in crime, Sean Dee, for his unwavering love and her two favorite little homies, Lex and JP for cheering Mama on even when she has to go holler in a parking lot.

Brandon Karrer (Man) is happy to be making his return to KOA in Laughing Wild. He just finished a successful run of Popcorn Falls at Manoa Valley Theatre and can be currently seen in commercials for Hele, Mariott Ko Olina, as well as VO for Outrigger. In 2018 Brandon stepped back on the stage after a seven year break to perform in Sam Shepard’s True West at TAG. Since then, he has appeared Home of the Brave at HTY, Way of A God at the Kumu Kahua Theatre, and A Steady Rain at KOA which was the first time he had the pleasure of working with Director Miles Phillips. Brandon would like to thank his wonderful family who remind him everyday that magic can be found in the most unlikely places.

Fabienne Flandre-Herold (Assistant to the Director) has thoroughly enjoyed assisting Miles on this hilarious production. Also at KOA, she assisted the Director and stage managed Marjorie Prime. Stage appearances include: (at DHT) Murder on the Orient Express, Catch Me If You Can, The Drowsy Chaperone, Follies, La Cage aux Folles, Hello Dolly!, Mame, Victor/Victoria and George M!. (at MVT) Shear Madness, Becky’s New Car; (at HPU) The Good Doctor and Is he Dead? Fabienne was dance captain for One Billion Rising Honolulu and a charter member of Les Tap Hot dance ensemble. Meet the Cast & Production Team Miles Phillips (Director) returns to KOA, after directing their acclaimed production of An Iliad last fall. He is a multiple award-winning actor, director, nightclub vocalist, and recording artist with appearances in theaters, clubs and concert halls from Honolulu to London. He has numerous leading New York and regional theatre roles, many film, television and radio appearances, an acclaimed solo album, and over two dozen original and studio cast recordings to his credit. He’s been honored with the Hollywood Drama-Logue and Chicago Jeff Awards for his work as an actor, by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs for four of his nightclub acts and twice by the NY Nightlife Awards. Miles received his graduate training with the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and his MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory. His acclaimed directorial ventures span from contemporary to classical theatre, from full scale musicals to concerts, cabaret, and film. He’s served as Artistic Director for Musical Theatre Renegades (Chicago) and The Hot Spot Theatre Company (Hot Springs, AR). Since his return to Hawaii, Miles has been honored with Po‘okela Awards for his direction of Shear Madness (MVT) and 1776 (Paliku), and for his performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol: The Musical (DHT). He’s currently directing the upcoming MVT production of Desperate Measures, which will have its long-awaited opening in their new full season. For more, please visit: MilesPhillips.com

Special Thanks: Aaron Scherman Terri Keaveney & Joanne Zehngraff for the Infant of Prague costume Andrew Doan & Windward Community College Tony Pisculli Jennifer Hart and Manoa Valley Theater Janine Myers Fabienne & Randy Herold David & Connie Rosenbrook

Kailua Onstage Arts is a proud member of the Hawaii State Theatre Council Preshow Playlist - 88.7

Don’t Stand So Close to Me The Police I’ve Gotta Be Me Sammy Davis Jr. Those Were the Days Mary Hopkin Walking in Space Betty Buckley Frustration Soft Cell Blow Gabriel Blow Ethel Merman Durang’s SNL Brecht/Rogers Medley Christopher Durang & Sigourney Weaver Coffee in a Cardboard Cup Cast of And The World Goes Round My Melancholy Baby Barbra Streisand Always Look on the Bright Side of Life Monty Python Somebody’s Watching Me Rockwell Across the Universe Jim Sturgess Life Sucks and Then You Die Ray Jessel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Lyn Anderson Dominique The Singing Nun Controller Oingo Boingo Gristedes Val Watson

Everything Old is New Again Peter Allen

COMING SOON TO KOA July 24 - Aug 1: ASTRA - Circus through the Lens of Space acrobatics show. Journey through our chaotic and beautiful universe, and learn about the lives of planets, stars, and black holes in this fun, family-friendly show!

Aug 7 - 15: AN OAK TREE by Tim Crouch. An evening of theater unlike anything you've ever seen! Kevin Keaveney is joined by a new actor each night, who walks on stage having neither seen nor read a word of the play they’re in. A breathtaking performance exploring a unique relationship – between a hypnotist and his subject, between one actor and another, and between an audience and the play itself.