Invisible Theatre News

Moody noir musical 'Gunmetal Blues' depicts misfortune in surreal world December 09, 2008, 9:49 a.m. CHUCK GRAHAM Tucson Citizen "Gunmetal Blues" rises out of the darkened Invisible Theatre stage as a 1930s nightclub gangster caper that's four parts atmosphere and one part action, with a twist. Armen Dirtadian looks terrific as Sam Galahad, the well-dressed loser who's old enough to know better but has never learned to resist. Dirtadian is well-known around Tucson for his dashing roles as the broad-shouldered leading man at Gaslight Theatre, but is keeping his personality in the shadows here. He plays a private eye so down on his luck, no client is ever turned away from his tattered office. Betsy Kruse Craig (another Gaslight star) steps into the IT spotlight as that tall blonde who doesn't care how much trouble Sam gets sucked into. She also plays three other blondes with their own suspicious motives. Taking on several additional roles is Mike Padilla, wh...

Tucson Weekly : Arts : Live From the Red Eye PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 11, 2008: Live From the Red Eye Blending both humor and sincerity, Invisible Theatre's 'Gunmetal Blues' offers a pleasant surprise By JAMES REEL I know what you're thinking, because I thought the same thing--and we're both wrong. Invisible Theatre is putting on Gunmetal Blues, a musical inspired by the gritty 1930s-'40s private-detective stories of writers like Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler. It rattles off lines like, "The rain on my face was a washrag full of straight pins." You can't really take that seriously unless it's coming straight from Hammet or Chandler. And this is a musical, remember, in which two of the stars are longtime regulars at Gaslight Theatre. You're thinking: This is just another silly, fluffy spoof. But you're as wrong as stilettos on a choirboy. Sure, Gunmetal Blues starts off as a send-up of more noir clichés than you can list on a corpse...

'Gunmetal Blues' is fun noir schtick, with tunes www.azstarnet.com ® 'Gunmetal Blues' is fun noir schtick, with tunes By Kathleen Allen Arizona daily star Tucson, Arizona Published: 12.05.2008 The piano player tickled the ivories while the detective, dressed in a fedora and a shiny gray suit, downed five, no six, fingers of whiskey in one gulp. The blonde crooned a tune while she made herself at home stretched across the piano. The player looked like he might tickle her. And so it goes in Invisible Theatre's perfectly played "Gunmetal Blues," a sendup of 1940s detective flicks. Only with music. Director Gail Fitzhugh struck just the right note with the play — it would be easy to overplay this one and not trust the audience to get the jokes or the references. She trusted them, as did her cast, Mike Padilla as the piano player Buddy Toupee, Betsy Kruse Craig as the Blonde, and Armen Dirtadian as Sam, the private eye. Craig and Dirtadian are veterans of The G...

Noir-ish spoof next for Invisible Theatre www.azstarnet.com ® By Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star Tucson, Arizona Published: 11.28.2008 A boozy blonde, a lounge lizard named Buddy Toupee, and a private detective who drops lines like "And then she was gone. Trailing perfume like a whispered prayer." Now that would be enough to sign us up for a look-see. Add music and we're there. That's what you'll get with Invisible Theatre's "Gunmetal Blues," a musical detective spoof with Sam Spade-ish lines, a Lauren Bacall-esque seductress, and a host of minor characters familiar and funny. The show, directed by Gail Fitzhugh, opens in previews on Wednesday. "Gunmetal" is the brainchild of Scott Wentworth, with music by Craig Bohmler and Wentworth's wife, Marion Adler. Wentworth's first career is as an actor (he was nominated for a Tony in 1989), his wife's as a singer/actress. At first Wentworth, who penned the book for the musical in the ...

'Gunmetal Blues' film noir on stage November 26, 2008, 11:16 a.m. CHUCK GRAHAM Tucson Citizen Film noir isn't just on film anymore. Invisible Theatre has mounted a rainy night black-and-white production of "Gunmetal Blues" perfectly cast with Tucson's matinee idol Armen Dirtadian as the troubled private eye and Betsy Kruse-Craig as the doll. Private eye Sam Galahad (Armen Dirtadian), is a sucker for a mysterious blonde (Betsy Kruse Craig) in "Gunmeal Blues." Although both singing actors are best known for their heroic performances at The Gaslight Theatre over the years, don't mention the G-word to either one. They start shaking their heads and waving their arms. "This is nothing at all like Gaslight," says Kruse-Craig, looking alarmed that anyone would even ask. "There's a lot more to the story, and this is a much more intimate stage." For the torch songs in "Gunmetal Blues" the cozier stage means a more sensual,...

Happy Thanksgiving from In the spirit of the holiday season, why not join us for a "delicious" mystery! Millionaire Adrian Wasp is found dead. A mysterious blonde is seen leaving his penthouse. Can detective Sam Galahad find Wasp's missing daughter and only heir? Or is she better off lost? The answers await you at ... GUNMETAL BLUES December 1 - December 21, 2008 The Invisible Theatre continues it's 38th Anniversary season with GUNMETAL BLUES by Scott Wentworth with Music and Lyrics by Craig Bohmler and Marion Adler. This is a stylish musical murder mystery directed by Gail Fitzhugh with its own witty and jazzy spin on the Hollywood film-noir genre. Not only is it in the tradition of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler but is also an homage to the art of theatrical storytelling. All of the characters are played by three actors! IT's cast features Tucson favorite's Armen Dirtadian as the handsome gumshoe looking for a lost heiress, Betsy Kruse Craig as the ...

This ain't your mama's Tupperware party, honey; it's Dixie's all the way www.azstarnet.com ® Accent This ain't your mama's Tupperware party, honey; it's Dixie's all the way By Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star Tucson, Arizona Published: 09.19.2008 The world has gone all topsy-turvy. Once upon a time, a play was a play, and a Tupperware party was a Tupperware party. Not so at Invisible Theatre, which opened its season Wednesday with "Dixie's Tupperware Party." At least there's truth in advertising there — you may be expecting a play, but this is most definitely a Tupperware party. Only you pay to get in. No food is served. No alcohol, either. And you are sitting in a dry-cleaning shop turned theater, not a friend's living room. OK, there are a few other differences. Not many Tupperware salespeople refer to the product as "crap." Or have an X-rated sense of humor. And most parties aren't hosted by someone as entertaining...