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A Letter from the Dramaturg

Most people watch musicals to get swept up in the music – so what happens when you can’t hear it? 

I cannot hear.  And yet, I’m dramaturging a musical that includes music and singing that requires you to listen.  However, I can see music.  I love putting my hands on the piano to feel the rhythmic tones.  I love holding a Bluetooth speaker or putting my leg next to the radio speaker to feel the bass.  By doing such, I always felt vibrations and could identify the tunes of the music.  I can also feel the characters’ stories by watching them move with the music.  Sitting on a chair, watching my American Sign Language interpreters performing their songs, I understand and am entertained in different and wonderful ways. 

As a Deaf dramaturg, I can also access this musical by researching and exploring the story behind Lucky Stiff.  The production team relied on me to ensure they were doing the story with the right kind of dancing styles, character persona and even props of certain eras.  A true 1980s and 1990s kid growing up, I enjoyed watching the directing team working with the cast of Lucky Stiff and seeing part of my own past reflected on stage. 

I invite you to expand your own experience of this production beyond the music.  Use your eyes to observe the gorgeous set, the oldie television, even the cast’s outfits!  Feel the beats within your bodies.  See the music come alive on stage.   You will feel like you have millions of things that you can find.  I became rich while researching the musical and farce of the script! 

Enjoy the show! 

Anne Post Fife, Deaf Dramaturg 

history of lucky stiff

Lucky Stiff is based on the 1983 novel ‘The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo’ by Michael Butterworth, a British writer who also did comic strips.  He was well-known for the United Kingdom’s adventure strips ‘The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire’ in the British Weeklies Ranger. He wrote the novel based on the history of the bank being broken at Monte Carlo.  Since Monte Carlo Casino opened in 1863, the bank has been broken into numerous times.  The expression “break the bank” has been around since 1600, to which the gambler wins more money than the house (bank) could afford to pay.  In fact, it became the coined expression in around 1873 when a roulette playing Englishman named Joseph Jagger won $350,000 (the day’s huge sum) at Monte Carlo Casino.   

Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime & Once on the Island) & Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime & Once on the Island, also Anastasia) teamed up to create the musical Lucky Stiff.  Inspired by the novel by Mr. Butterworth, they wanted to create a world that was witty, mysterious, an ‘uppity’ happening, and a farce.  They included characters that function as a quasi-Greek chorus (a singing chorus), who reveal the crazy plot twists.  Through them, we know it is okay to be confused and excited.  They also urge you to remember there are others thinking of you and wanting you to succeed in life.   

As you watch, I encourage you to look for those who feel familiar.  See yourself and your loved ones in these characters, and embrace your connections with them, whether they may be crazy or lost.  

More information on UVU Department of Theatrical Arts