February 19–26, 1998

hit and run

Lucy, I'm home!

Madi Distefano's Brat Productions, whose white-trash smash Eye-95 sold out both the NYC and Philly Fringe festivals, is at it again. Her latest scheme: a 24-hour marathon production of Eugene Ionesco's The Bald Soprano. And, in what seems an inspired choice for this 1950 masterpiece of metaphysical nonsense, she wants to produce the play in the style of a black and white '50s TV sitcom—kind of like a live-action Nick at Nite.

Of course, Ionesco operates on a whole other level of absurdity than, say, I Love Lucy. Repeating the one-act over and over as Distefano plans to do ought to heighten the impact of the play's repeated conversations and interchangeable identities, but it's also going to require a very tight acting ensemble. That's why she's using performers who, for the most part, have acted together before: Alix Smith, William Zielinski, Karen Hinton and Anthony Lawton. And that's why she's planning to rehearse in big chunks of time.

"Instead of meeting five nights a week, we will rehearse once a week for 15 hours to get used to working without sleep."

Now if she can only find a designer.

"What we desperately need is a set designer to do a simple flexible set," and a '50s costume and '50s wig designer—preferably someone good with "big beehives."

Bald Soprano is already pre-approved for this year's NYC Fringe in August, and Distefano's debating whether to debut the show for local audiences with a trial run in June or wait till Philly's Fringe in September (she's currently in discussions with executive director Nick Stuccio).

-David Warner