30 Years On, I Love You, DJ Choupin
From “The Cocktail Hour in Jackson Hole” to “Hungry Men Don’t Swerve” via “A Roadkill Opera”
Living in 1985 Jackson, Wyoming, the lore and legend of the Wort Hotel and its legendary Silver Dollar Bar were inscribed in my head both by direct experience of local and touring acts in the Showroom (as the Greenback Lounge was inevitably called by the locals) and vicariously through a local author’s library book titled The Cocktail Hour in Jackson Hole. That 1956 book is described on the back cover (and on a current Amazon listing) thusly:
“In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the cocktail hour is not from 5:00 to 7:00, as it is in bigger and fancier places, but from mid-September to Thanksgiving (allowing, of course, for patients with chronic salty stomachs who carry on “until March, or until jail, whichever comes first”). After the dudes have gone, the Eastern girls leaving broken hearts behind them, the permanent personnel of the Hole settles down for the off-season. Cowboy, rancher, dude wrangler, ranger, bartender, and marooned shill, they live it out to the friendly mood music of the tinkle of indoor ice, the whisper of poker-hands dealt, and the low guttural cry of the ruby-throated crap shooter. It is a community of kindred souls and wonderful. The seasons move on autumn with its wonderous cocktail hour; winter with its snow up to 15 feet and cold down to 63 below, its mad elk, and the horrors of cabin fever; and finally the first thaw. And there is Mr. Hough himself, gingerly and with a certain elegance winding his way through it all, determined to live until spring, a time when the melting snow discloses the staggering crop of winter’s empties in the back yard, and when staid citizens sneak out at midnight to throw their bottles into the yards of their neighbors – an exchange that always comes out even. Mr. Hough has been a willing Boswell – on a participating basis – to an engaging world. His account of this small community, high in the backbone of the Rockies, makes an enormously readable, gay and true winter’s tale. — from book’s back cover”
The characters I met in the hole in the mid-1980s seemed ripe for a similar treatment, especially when, in the same time period, the locals in Savannah, Georgia were so grippingly portrayed In the Garden of Good and Evil. Perhaps that story will still be told for all of the characters I met circa 1984-1992, including Captain Bob, Frank Ewing, Breck O’Neill, Steve Fontanini, “Weird” Ed Bachtel, “Marvelous” Marv Wendl, Holly Danner, and Deb Choupin. For now, though, the last three on this list are among the six characters in a real-time tale about how a ragtag troupe of amateur improv comedians took over the Wort Hotel’s Silver Dollar Showroom for 8 weeks during the summer of 1988. That was the year of the Yellowstone fires.
Immortalized as a 59-minute sung-through opera set to the music from Ferdinando Paer’s 1804 Leonora, Parker & Paer’s A Roadkill Opera had its world premiere performances in January 2016 at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC and was subsequently performed in October 2016 by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia.
Building on the advice given by Stephen Schwartz at the February 2018 ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles, the story is being expanded and reshaped into a musical with the working title Hungry Men Don’t Swerve. Discussions are underway for a possible premiere in Jackson Hole. Stay tuned!
The Friday Club in Evanston, Illinois – Larry David, David Grisman Quartet, Comedy Magician Stephan Parker
It was the 80s.
Local cable in Evanston, Illinois, had a sketch comedy show modeled after Saturday Night Live, called variously Fridays or The Friday Club. Stephan Alexander Parker had been a semi-professional magician from 8th grade until, after about 100 paid gigs under the stage name “Alexande”, he began the transition to stand-up–around his freshman year in college. At the end of his sophomore year, a woman in his dorm booked Parker’s stand-up act for her sister’s Sweet Sixteen party in Skokie, Illinois. That was Parker’s first paid comedy gig. One bit from Parker’s magic days survived into the 1980s and even made it onto the local cable TV, live, sketch comedy show The Friday Club: Herby the Amazing Disappearing Elephant.
Stephan Alexander Parker worked as alight and sound man with many acts over the years, A list of those he remembers are listed below (it was the 80s). More than half of them can be seen and heard in their videos online.
Good Times in the Country: Opryland USA on the Road in Branson, Missouri
Mangy Moose Saloon in Teton Village, Wyoming
The Holmes Brothers
John Hartford
Steve Forbert
Church Street Station in Orlando, Florida
Rosie O’Grady’s Good Times Jazz Band
Roy Orbison
The Diamonds
Tommy Overstreet
Fabian
Del Shannon
Dee Clark
Sons of the Pioneers
Gabriel
Johnny Thunder
Chicago-area music acts
reggae:
Gypsi Fari
New Era
soul/funk/blues:
Lefty Dizz
Eddie Clearwater
jazz/fusion:
Apple Juice
Faith Pillow
David Grisman Quartet
Ashby-Ostermann Alliance
rock/punk/new wave:
The Front Lines
The Paranoids
Void Where Prohibited
Fat Lewy
Peer Group
The Bombastics
Group Gomez
Riffmaster & The Rockme Foundation
Judy and the Punch
Amuzement Park
folk/country:
Art Thieme
Marty Peiffer
Kathy O’Hara & Diana Laffey
Kelly & Rossi
Fred Holstein
Linda Black
Jeff Jones
Jim Post*
Jump ‘N’ the Saddle Band*
comedy:
Eddie Murphy*
(* lighting only)
Behind the scenes at the recording sessions for A Roadkill Opera at Blue House Studios; the GRAMMYs; and the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop
After the immensely successful proof of concept of A Roadkill Opera as a stand-and-sing concert performance at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City (Arlington), Virginia, the next step was to record a demo. So said Maestro Jeffrey Dokken. So, on a cold day in January 2013, the entire cast and orchestra for the recording gathered at Blue House Studios in Kensington, Maryland.
We had the studio booked for 4 hours for our 59-minute show. The plan was to run through it a couple of times, and to re-record anything that wasn’t decent enough in the remaining time. That was the plan.
Jeff Gruber, the recording engineer, suggested we lay down the overture first and get a good mix on the sound for the orchestra before adding in the vocalists. He got the orchestra sounding so good, though, that I asked Jeffrey Dokken “Is it me or does that sound good enough to release commercially?” Dokken agreed it was good enough for release. It turns out that Gruber is a classically trained musician in addition to having a very fine ear.
So I asked Gruber “Can we still get the whole thing recorded today?”
Gruber said “No. We can lay down the backing tracks from the orchestra today. Bring the singers into the control room and I’ll record them on a scratch track. We can bring them back later to lay down the vocals on clean backing tracks.”
It took six months.
The singers were all very busy, and we also had to lay in some of the instruments separately; Dokken on timpani, Parker on cymbal, and on hammer and 2×4; and Natalie Spehar on the killer cello solos. Scheduling available studio time for them with their limited availability, plus mixing sessions, took until late June. We were lucky to make our targeted release date: July 4, 2013, the 25th anniversary of the opening night of Roadkill!!! Live!, the subject of A Roadkill Opera.
Since the goal of the January 2013 demo was to have something that could be pitched to artistic directors, and it wasn’t done and (as of March) it was not certain that it would be completed anytime soon (if at all), I started editing and publishing the sheet music. If the recording was not completed, we could still pitch the show. Whether or not the recording was completed, anyone wanting to mount a show would need the sheet music.
As an old Chicago punk-rock light and sound man, the ethos of DIY (do it yourself) was strong; publishing the sheet music for A Roadkill Opera allowed others to do it themselves. Having the backing tracks cleanly separated from the vocal tracks allowed for both the separate release of a CD with the backing tracks and for the release of karaoke videos for A Roadkill Opera.
The studio work of Dokken and Gruber so elevated the recording that they were given producer credits along with Parker. Dokken later joined Parker when, though not nominated or performing at the show, A Roadkill Opera was invited to the GRAMMYs in February 2018.
Looking for further creative re-use of the songs from A Roadkill Opera, and recalling how Irving Berlin recycled the songs from the black-and-white film Holiday Inn in the color film White Christmas, I took up the invitation to participate in the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop 2018 in Los Angeles. Stephen Schwartz’s invaluable advice was to look at the structure of the play to get the main character on stage with and “I want” song early, and to look as well at giving the main character an “I have a problem” song.
Thus the book for the musical theatre version of A Roadkill Opera has been re-shaped and the order in which the musical numbers are performed has been revised. The new musical is called Hungry Men Don’t Swerve. More to come as it gets further along.
A Roadkill Opera and DJ Choupin at SONOVA Gala 2018 Tonight
Shameless Plug: A Roadkill Opera at Lionsgate Studios and the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop LA 2018
During the evening, Megan Hilty sang a hilarious new number by Zina Goldrich & Marcy Heisler about a singer in the chorus yearning to sing a melody rather than harmonies. The frustration and yearning with the musical jokes all worked beautifully. And, there is a parallel (of course there is) to A Roadkill Opera. The sheet music contains a table letting every player know what other instruments are in each musical number, and the sheet music is sold in books, so any string player can enjoy playing any other string’s lines (outside the official rehearsals and shows, of course). The reason? Parker was a terrible musician (3rd clarinet) in high school, and yearned to play melodies he heard others play. Problem was, he couldn’t tell which part had the melody and the sheet music was not available to individuals. An old Chicago punk, when he had the chance to publish the parts and score for A Roadkill Opera, he made sure that they would be available to all players.
At the first session, Parker was randomly seated next to songwriter/composer Danny Maseng (Let There Be Light, Beyond the Gates) and his wife. And, serendipitously, they were seated next to each other down in the first row for the second session. This allowed them to swap CDs and sheet music.
So here’s the thing: during this video shot at the GRAMMYs in February 2015, A Roadkill Opera‘s librettist (and, for the recording, one of the producers) Stephan Alexander Parker brandishes a pair of chopsticks imprinted in gold with the ideogram for “harmony” and lettering for A Roadkill Opera. The chopsticks were partly inspired by the knowledge that ASCAP’s President and Chairman Paul Williams likes squid. With the thousands and thousand of people at the event, Parker and A Roadkill Opera‘s conductor and music conductor (and co-producer for the recording) Jeffrey Dokken were shocked and pleased to bump into Williams on the sidewalk after the show. Parker pulled out a CD to hand to Williams, totally forgetting the chopsticks.
Well, at the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop LA 2018, Parker finished a delivery three years in the making.
Parker: I hear you like squid.
Williams: I love squid!
Parker: Please accept these chopsticks.
Williams: Thank you. What is A Roadkill Opera?
You can’t make this stuff up.
A Roadkill Opera: From the GRAMMYs in 2015 to the ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop 2018
Oh my.
A Roadkill Opera has been invited to audit the February 2018 ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles, presented in conjunction with Universal Theatrical Group. The acclaimed annual Workshops (there will be a spring edition in New York) are led by Artistic Director Stephen Schwartz — the Tony, Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer/lyricist whose numerous credits include the Broadway musicals Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin, as well as the DreamWorks’ film The Prince of Egypt, and Walt Disney films Enchanted, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The program is composed of various workshop sessions featuring prominent guests from all aspects of musical theater including producers, directors, critics, performers, and composers. Workshop alumni include Steven Lutvak (Tony award-winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), Glenn Slater (Tony-nominated School of Rock), Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (Elf).
Among the songwriters who have participated in the workshops over the years are: Jonathan Larson (Rent), Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family) and Glenn Slater (Sister Act).
This is inspiring. When the 2013 studio recording of A Roadkill Opera led to an invitation to attend the GRAMMYs in February 2015, there had only been a single public workshop concert performance. In 2016 there were six fully-staged performances; four at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, and two by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia.
In preparation for the ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop, librettist Stephan Alexander Parker has been meeting with director and music director Jeffrey Dokken to discuss song placement, story restructuring ideas, and dialogue strategies. Maestro Jeffrey Dokken has led every performance of A Roadkill Opera to date. You can catch him in 2018 conducting at the Rome Symphony Orchestra, the oldest orchestra in the south, as well as at the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia and a slew of international engagements.
Applicants to the ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop must be prepared, if selected, to present 50 consecutive minutes from the musical at the workshop. The 50-minute selection must include book and songs. To meet the workshop book requirement, librettist Stephan Alexander Parker has reunited with Ed Bachtel, the comedic wonder behind the most memorable sketches from the heyday of the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company.
Parker and Bachtel anticipate folding in classic sketches as well as crafting new dialogue for the musical version of A Roadkill Opera. Several of the sketches are referenced in the current version’s songs, which are anticipated to be retained.
Parker and Bachtel had a legal partnership when their productions ran in Jackson Hole at the Wort Hotel’s Greenback Lounge (enter through the Silver Dollar Bar) and the Pink Garter Theatre. They also started the Open Mic Night at Spirits of the West Saloon, which was the longest-running open mic in the valley prior to Dornan’s Hootenanny. Parker is a frequent visitor to the Silver Dollar Bar, particularly since the restoration of the old Greenback Lounge space into the Silver Dollar Showroom. Honestly, locals always referred to the space as the Showroom, but that’s a different story…
A Roadkill Opera Releases Karaoke Videos
There were a few lyrics that changed between the Artomatic 2012 workshop and the 2013 studio recording of A Roadkill Opera; and there were a few more that came with the January 2016 world premiere performances at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint.
On Cyber Monday, A Roadkill Opera released a free gift for its fans: the full studio album as a set of linked lyric videos. T
Now, a year-end gift for the hundreds of fans who saw the live shows; the thousands with CDs, sheet music, or librettos; and anyone looking to have some fun: karaoke videos, so you can perform A Roadkill Opera in your living room, bar, bedroom, or chambers.
The Overture features black and white photos of Wyoming, 1948, courtesy of Frank Parker and color photos by DJ Choupin djchoupin.com. Sing along to the lyrics in the karaoke videos for the remaining 12 musical numbers in A Roadkill Opera.
Cheers! Enjoy! Make show!
A Roadkill Opera
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“the underground opera sensation”
STEPHAN ALEXANDER PARKER
Music from 1804 by Ferdinando Paer
Original Workshop Cast Recording
released July 4, 2013
Photos from Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint Performances
January 2016
Jeffrey Dokken, Director, Music Director & Conductor
1. Overture … Orchestra
2. Impress Them … Holly
3. In A Clearing … Eddie & Holly
4. Cod Piece Dining … Stephan, Holly, Eddie
5. Jello … Holly, Stephan & Eddie
6. Different Things … Debby
7. Geo … Dave, Debby & Stephan
8. Suppose … Debby
9. Butterflies … Holly
10. Torn Down … Stephan & Debby
11. Opening Night … Stephan, Dave & Debby
12. Finished … Holly, Dave, Stephan, Debby & Eddie
13. Glory … Dave, Eddie, Holly, Debby & Stephan
59 minutes (in English).
Original Workshop Cast Recording
HOLLY, Soprano ………………….. Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone ………………….. Andrew Webster
MARVIN, Banging Nails ……..…… Stephan Alexander Parker
STEPHAN, Baritone ……………… David Timpane
DEBBY, Soprano ……………………Krista Monique McClellan
DAVE, Tenor …………………….… Jeffrey Dokken
Orchestra
Flute .….…………………………… Martine Micozzi
Clarinet …………………………….Jeannine Altavilla
Bassoon ……………………………Sarah Robinson
Trumpet & Flugelhorn …..……….. Michael Thompson
Timpani …………………………… Jeffrey Dokken
Violin I ……………………..………. Frank Peracchia
Violin II …………………………….. Ian Ross
Viola …………………………………Val Rauch
Cello …….……………….……..… Kathy Augustine, Natalie Spehar
Hammer, 2×4, cymbal …………….Stephan Alexander Parker
Produced by
Stephan Alexander Parker,
Jeffrey Dokken, and Jeff Gruber
Recorded, mixed, and mastered at
Blue House Productions by
Audio Engineer Jeff Gruber
Available through the usual online sources; if the spirit moves you, you can purchase the tracks or the album through CD Baby, AmazonMP3, and iTunes. It is now available worldwide on nearly all platforms.
If karaoke is your thing, the backing tracks (without vocals) have been released on CD Baby, Amazon, and iTunes as A Roadkill Opera, Wanted: Vocals.
World Premiere Performances
January 2016
Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint
916 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Cast
HOLLY, Soprano … Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone … Alan Naylor
MARVIN, Banging Nails … Christopher Dews
STEPHAN, Baritone … David Timpane
DEBBY, Soprano … Shaina Martinez
DAVE, Tenor … Alex Miletich IV
Orchestra
Flute … Martine Micozzi
Clarinet … Deborah Albert
Bassoon … Whitney Miller
Trumpet & Flugelhorn … Michael Thompson
Violin I … Tanya Whisnant
Violin II … Jeanne Trahan Faubell
Viola … Val Rauch
Cello … Jorge Alvarez
Timpani … Dr. David W. Constantine
Administrative & Production Staff
Producer … Stephan Alexander Parker
Director & Conductor … Jeffrey Dokken
Lighting Designer & Technical Director … Christina Giles
Production & Stage Manager … Michal Kaufer
Box Office Manager & Merchandising Director … DJ Choupin
House Manager … Brooke Coleman
Ushers … Jason Ganz & Nina Parker Ganz
Strike Team … RJ Gaudiosi & Rich Gaudiosi
Vintage publicity materials from Loose Ties etc. … Phil Round
Roadkill-on-a-Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Co. logo … Eric Scholl
“In A Clearing” hats … Sue Kirby
“Beaverzilla” jaws … Ed Bachtel
Roadkills … Lisa Sprague & Roger Henderson
Live Video Recording Credits
A Roadkill Opera at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
February 8, 2015
Video shot and edited by Ben Ganz
Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint
Fully staged world premiere performances
Washington, DC
January 8-9, 2016
Video shot and edited by RJ Gaudiosi
James Lee Community Theater
Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA)
Fully staged performances (highlights)
Falls Church, Virginia
October 21, 2016
Recorded live on site: mixed and mastered at
Blue House Productions by
Audio Engineer Jeff Gruber
Cast
HOLLY, Soprano … Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone … Larry Boggs
MARVIN, Banging Nails … Christopher Dews
STEPHAN, Baritone … David Timpane*
DEBBY, Soprano … Kelly Curtin
DAVE, Tenor … Jeffrey Dokken*
*rehearsal only
Artomatic 2012
Original Workshop Concert
Crystal City, Virginia
June 9, 2012
Camera …………………………………………. Ben Ganz
Production assistants … Jason Ganz, Nina Parker Ganz
Audio …………………………………………… Angelo Avellana
Audio Supervisor …………………………….. Mary Diaz
Lighting ………………………………….……. George Spelvin
Scrim Crew ..… Cyndi Moran, Eric Scholl, Nathaniel Scholl, Rosalyn Scholl
Retail Merchandising …………..…………..… DJ Choupin
Cast
HOLLY, Soprano … Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone … Andrew Webster
MARVIN, Banging Nails … George Spelvin
STEPHAN, Baritone … David Timpane
DEBBY, Soprano … Krista Monique McClellan
DAVE, Tenor … John Dellaporta
Orchestra
Flute … Martine Micozzi
Clarinet … Jeannine Altavilla
Bassoon … Sarah Robinson
Trumpet & Flugelhorn … Michael Thompson
Violin I … Frank Peracchia
Violin II … Holly Petty
Violin III … Kendall Isadore
Cello … Kathy Augustine
A Roadkill Opera Releases Full Studio Recording Videos with Sing-Along Lyrics
Just released! The full studio recording of A Roadkill Opera with sing-along lyrics.
On Cyber Monday, A Roadkill Opera released a free gift for its fans: the full studio album as a set of linked lyric videos. The Overture features black and white photos of Wyoming, 1948, courtesy of Frank Parker and color photos by DJ Choupin djchoupin.com. Sing along to the lyric videos for the remaining 12 musical numbers in A Roadkill Opera. Once you’ve got them down, try the 12 karaoke videos!
A Roadkill Opera
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“the underground opera sensation”
STEPHAN ALEXANDER PARKER
Music from 1804 by Ferdinando Paer
Original Workshop Cast Recording
released July 4, 2013
Photos from Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint Performances
January 2016
Jeffrey Dokken, Director, Music Director & Conductor
1. Overture … Orchestra
2. Impress Them … Holly
3. In A Clearing … Eddie & Holly
4. Cod Piece Dining … Stephan, Holly, Eddie
5. Jello … Holly, Stephan & Eddie
6. Different Things … Debby
7. Geo … Dave, Debby & Stephan
8. Suppose … Debby
9. Butterflies … Holly
10. Torn Down … Stephan & Debby
11. Opening Night … Stephan, Dave & Debby
12. Finished … Holly, Dave, Stephan, Debby & Eddie
13. Glory … Dave, Eddie, Holly, Debby & Stephan
59 minutes (in English).
Original Workshop Cast Recording
HOLLY, Soprano ………………….. Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone ………………….. Andrew Webster
MARVIN, Banging Nails ……..…… Stephan Alexander Parker
STEPHAN, Baritone ……………… David Timpane
DEBBY, Soprano ……………………Krista Monique McClellan
DAVE, Tenor …………………….… Jeffrey Dokken
Orchestra
Flute .….…………………………… Martine Micozzi
Clarinet …………………………….Jeannine Altavilla
Bassoon ……………………………Sarah Robinson
Trumpet & Flugelhorn …..……….. Michael Thompson
Timpani …………………………… Jeffrey Dokken
Violin I ……………………..………. Frank Peracchia
Violin II …………………………….. Ian Ross
Viola …………………………………Val Rauch
Cello …….……………….……..… Kathy Augustine, Natalie Spehar
Hammer, 2×4, cymbal …………….Stephan Alexander Parker
Produced by
Stephan Alexander Parker,
Jeffrey Dokken, and Jeff Gruber
Recorded, mixed, and mastered at
Blue House Productions by
Audio Engineer Jeff Gruber
Available through the usual online sources; if the spirit moves you, you can purchase the tracks or the album through CD Baby, AmazonMP3, and iTunes. It is now available worldwide on nearly all platforms.
If karaoke is your thing, the backing tracks (without vocals) have been released on CD Baby, Amazon, and iTunes as A Roadkill Opera, Wanted: Vocals.
World Premiere Performances
January 2016
Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint
916 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Cast
HOLLY, Soprano … Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone … Alan Naylor
MARVIN, Banging Nails … Christopher Dews
STEPHAN, Baritone … David Timpane
DEBBY, Soprano … Shaina Martinez
DAVE, Tenor … Alex Miletich IV
Orchestra
Flute … Martine Micozzi
Clarinet … Deborah Albert
Bassoon … Whitney Miller
Trumpet & Flugelhorn … Michael Thompson
Violin I … Tanya Whisnant
Violin II … Jeanne Trahan Faubell
Viola … Val Rauch
Cello … Jorge Alvarez
Timpani … Dr. David W. Constantine
Administrative & Production Staff
Producer … Stephan Alexander Parker
Director & Conductor … Jeffrey Dokken
Lighting Designer & Technical Director … Christina Giles
Production & Stage Manager … Michal Kaufer
Box Office Manager & Merchandising Director … DJ Choupin
House Manager … Brooke Coleman
Ushers … Jason Ganz & Nina Parker Ganz
Strike Team … RJ Gaudiosi & Rich Gaudiosi
Vintage publicity materials from Loose Ties etc. … Phil Round
Roadkill-on-a-Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Co. logo … Eric Scholl
“In A Clearing” hats … Sue Kirby
“Beaverzilla” jaws … Ed Bachtel
Roadkills … Lisa Sprague & Roger Henderson
Live Video Recording Credits
A Roadkill Opera at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
February 8, 2015
Video shot and edited by Ben Ganz
Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint
Fully staged world premiere performances
Washington, DC
January 8-9, 2016
Video shot and edited by RJ Gaudiosi
James Lee Community Theater
Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA)
Fully staged performances (highlights)
Falls Church, Virginia
October 21, 2016
Recorded live on site: mixed and mastered at
Blue House Productions by
Audio Engineer Jeff Gruber
Cast
HOLLY, Soprano … Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone … Larry Boggs
MARVIN, Banging Nails … Christopher Dews
STEPHAN, Baritone … David Timpane*
DEBBY, Soprano … Kelly Curtin
DAVE, Tenor … Jeffrey Dokken*
*rehearsal only
Artomatic 2012
Original Workshop Concert
Crystal City, Virginia
June 9, 2012
Camera …………………………………………. Ben Ganz
Production assistants … Jason Ganz, Nina Parker Ganz
Audio …………………………………………… Angelo Avellana
Audio Supervisor …………………………….. Mary Diaz
Lighting ………………………………….……. George Spelvin
Scrim Crew ..… Cyndi Moran, Eric Scholl, Nathaniel Scholl, Rosalyn Scholl
Retail Merchandising …………..…………..… DJ Choupin
Cast
HOLLY, Soprano … Laura Wehrmeyer
EDDIE, Baritone … Andrew Webster
MARVIN, Banging Nails … George Spelvin
STEPHAN, Baritone … David Timpane
DEBBY, Soprano … Krista Monique McClellan
DAVE, Tenor … John Dellaporta
Orchestra
Flute … Martine Micozzi
Clarinet … Jeannine Altavilla
Bassoon … Sarah Robinson
Trumpet & Flugelhorn … Michael Thompson
Violin I … Frank Peracchia
Violin II … Holly Petty
Violin III … Kendall Isadore
Cello … Kathy Augustine
A Roadkill Opera Releases Lyrics to “Opening Night”
Opening Night
Stephan
Now it’s time,
rev up the crowd.
We count on you to get them loud.
Op’ning Night— our time has come, now.
Op’ning Night— our time has come and
we are counting on you,
know that we are counting on you, trouper.
You trouper!
You trouper!
If you only will permit me,
I would like to say that we could not do this show
without your assistance,
without all your music.
Now it’s time, rev up the crowd.
We count on you to get this crew loud,
really loud!
Op’ning Night— our time has come,
and we know our lives will never be quite the same.
Yes, we know our lives will never be the same.
Dave
Do you really think I have such talent?
Stephan
There can be no doubt about it,
there can be no doubt about it.
Dave
You show taste,
impressive as discerning.
Stephan
There can be no doubt about it.
There can be no doubt about it.
Dave
I must say, you are impressive
when it comes to your taste
about musicians.
Stephan
Yes, I pride myself on my immaculate taste,
I do, I do.
Check it out, man,
the chicks dig you.
Dave
You’re so screwy
Stephan
Eh? It is so obvious.
Take it for granted if you wish to.
If you think that you are, you’re that kind of guy.
You think that you’re that kind of guy,
then you’re that kind of guy.
Debby
I’ve come to show my support
as you go on for the first time.
I’m sure you’ll knock ‘em
all dead in the aisles
and your reputations will be
cemented by the morning.
I hope you all have a great time.
I really hope that you all have a great time,
that you will look back in the morning
and be happy.
Stephan
What about it, my friend?
Dave
My sentiments, my sentiments.
My sentiments, my sentiments.
(to Debby)
Am I ready to go on yet?
Debby
I’ve no doubt this is your moment.
Dave
What is your most fervent desire?
Debby
Play with genius.
Try to make it so I feel it when you spit-take.
Play with passion!
Make me feel it!
Earn the admiration of your audience.
Dave
I want to hear your opinion.
Please stick around past the show.
Stephan
She is so cute! What a woman!
Got to get to know her now.
Debby
Well, I’ve got to run now, I’m due out front
to collect the tickets.
Really, I must be going.
Dave
I want to hear your opinion.
Please stick around past the show
so I can get to know you.
Stephan
She is so cute! What a woman!
Got to get to know her now,
to know her now.
Dave
Oh, please stick around, please stick around,
please stick around past the show.
Stephan
Get to know her, get to know her,
got to get to know her now.
Holly
Really, I must be going.
Dave
Come see me at intermission.
Debby
I will see what I can do, then.
Dave
Please don’t cast me as a delinquent,
the very thought makes me shudder.
Debby
Don’t be sure of what I’m thinking,
life is really not that simple.
Please excuse me now, I must be going.
Dave
I don’t know what you see in him.
I am really so much better, I
don’t know what you see in this fellow.
Debby
He does a mean Jello-churner.
He slays me, he slays me—
he slays me with his churning.
Dave
I want to hear your opinion.
Please stick around past the show.
Stephan
She’s so cute! What a woman!
Got to get to know her now.
Debby
Well, I’ve really got to go now.
No, I really must be gone. Now. Now go.
Dave
I want to hear your opinion,
your opinion tell me now.
I want to hear what you think now.
Stephan
She is so cute! What a woman!
Got to get to know her now.
She is so cute!
Dave
I want to hear, I want to hear, I want to hear
what you think now, what you think now.
Stephan
I’ve got to know, I’ve got to know,
I’ve got to get to know her now.
Holly
You see, I really have to go now,
it’s nothing personal.
Dave
Yes, please stick around now.
Please stick around now past the show.
I want to know you, please stick around,
please stick around, please stay.
Stephan
Must get to know her. Must get to know her.
Got to, got to, got to now.
Got to get to know her, got to got to
got to get to know her, know her now.
Debby
I’ve got to go now. Please,
understand it’s nothing personal at all,
no, not personal, not personal at all.
A Roadkill Opera’s Key Takeaways from CD Baby’s DIY Musicians Conference 2017
What a great conference!
Like any first-time attendee, I was a little nervous and a bit intimidated at the prospect, but all that went away as soon as I arrived. CD Baby’s DIY Musicians Conference 2017 registration staff were kind enough to confirm the translations for the ideograms on the promotional chopsticks for A Roadkill Opera DIY as “double happiness” on the red sleeves and “harmony” on the chopsticks proper. I hadn’t even attended my first session, and they already exceeded my expectations!
My first stop after registration was at Hatch Show Print and my last stop was the afterparty; great things happened at every event along the way.
To a packed house in the session “Making Music Merchandise Work for You,” the Merch Cat team provided spot-on advice on merch, from graphics (keep band logos simple and consistent on t-shirts) to fabrics (better quality t-shirts are worth it–they sell better, they get worn more, and they have higher mark-ups) to leveraging merchandise bundles to boost music sales and charts (if you track them and document them properly).
Gas Money Merch Co-owner Karen Corzine described how cost-effective it is to work with companies that have in-house designers. For a small fee, they can transform your idea into a durable image that you can use and reuse on your merchandise.
I can attest to that: the talented staff at Hatch Show Print designed a killer poster for the Artomatic 2012 stand-and-sing concert performance of A Roadkill Opera. When our 2013 studio demo session morphed into a commercial release, we licensed the Hatch design and used it for the published sheet music, CD covers, and t-shirts.
Vanessa Ferrer, Karen Corzine, and Bram Bessoff described how important it is to display merch properly and how to do so economically. They also provided feedback to the audience on their merch and merch display ideas. “Fan designed shirts are the best sellers,” said Gas Money Merch’s Karen Corzine, adding “Lyric shirts are popular.”
A Roadkill Opera‘s Stephan Alexander Parker described the importance of extending the range of merch from bumper stickers to limited edition neck ties. Another audience member described custom-imprinted harmonicas.
In the Ballroom, Rick Barker, President and CEO of Social Media for Music, described tools for monetizing live streaming. Barker knows a thing or two about marketing, having spent two years managing the day-to-day career of superstar Taylor Swift. He got his start managing a girls soccer team. He served as Social Media Mentor for the American Idol contestants and currently manages Idol winner and Big Machine recording artist Trent Harmon.
“If you are live streaming, be sure to set up a “virtual tip jar” as the first comment,” as Dawn Beyer does, says Rick Barker. “Make it feel like a one-on-one setting. Just start the conversation–like, how much I like Weird Al,” says Rick Barker.
At live shows, “If they cry, they buy. Announce that that song is available on your CD,” says Rick Barker.
A Roadkill Opera Releases Lyrics to “Torn Down”
Torn Down
Debby
Torn down?
Stephan
That is their intention.
Debby
Torn down?
Stephan
It seems no evidence of our existence
can escape their wrecking ball.
Debby
Torn down?
Stephan
Torn down.
Debby
Torn down?
Stephan
Torn down, torn down!
It seems no evidence of our existence
can escape their wrecking ball.
Got no sense of history.
Debby
It’s not fair. How can they do this?
Like they don’t they care about their shows?
Stephan
Apparently they are governed
by a higher rate of return;
meeting rooms;
catering mark-ups;
audiovisual rentals …
Debby
This, the best place to see
Loose Ties!
Stephan
Or to see Shelley and Kelly?
To see Shelley and Kelly?
So cozy …
Debby
My thought exactly.
Stephan
Here, yes, I’d hoped to do great things.
Debby
That’s the end of the song!
Stephan
I’d like to’ve seen Susan Carlman.
Debby
Ah, and Beth McIntosh!
Stephan
Can’t believe they’d tear this down,
can’t believe they’d tear this down.
Here I’ve seen some great acts, many times,
many times. So much talent!
Debby
Deadly Ernest, Deadly Ernest.
Stephan
It disgusts me what they’re doing;
oh, this is nice, oh, this is good …
Debby
Johnny Gimble, Johnny Gimble.
Stephan
Now after all these years,
all goes away, all goes away like that!
Debby
(whistles)
Stephan
It makes me sick just to think about it,
just to think about it.
Debby
What a waste of space, oh, what a waste of space,
it sickens me now!
Stephan
Well, I think it could have been much worse—
Debby
Side, talkin’ ’bout Side Channel Swing Band.
Stephan
—it could have happened before our show.
Debby
Saw Sawmill Creek here, and Doc Watson.
Stephan
Despite this setback we must prepare the cast
now to put on the show.
Got to prepare to put on the show,
to put on the show, to put on the show,
to put on the …
Debby
Got to impress them, must be prepared to
impress them,
must be prepared to impress, be prepared.
Stephan
The show must go on, the show must go,
the show must go on.
Stephan
Yes, we’ve got to prepare the cast
to go on with the show, the show.
Debby
To have a great time, great time,
great time, great time at this bar, oh,
you don’t have to be a superstar.
Stephan
You don’t have to be a star,
no, you don’t have to be a star.
Debby, Stephan
You don’t have to be a star,
no, you don’t have to be a star;
have a great time at this bar.
Stephan
You don’t have to, you don’t have to,
you don’t have to be a star.
Debby
To have a great time, great time
great time, great time at this bar, ah,
Debby
you don’t have to be a star.
Stephan
Have a great time at this bar
don’t be a star.
To have a great time.
To have a great time
Debby, Stephan
You don’t have to be a star.
Stephan
To have a great time.
To have a great time
Debby, Stephan
You don’t have to be a star.
Stephan
You don’t have to be a a star,
no, you don’t have to be a star,
no, you don’t have to be a star,
to have a great.
You don’t have to be a star
to have a great time at this bar,
no you don’t have to be a star,
not at this bar,
Debby
Be a star
to be a star, no,
to have a great time at this bar,
you don’t have to
be a star
to have a great time.
To have a great time at this bar,
you don’t have to,
Debby, Stephan
you don’t have to be a star
to have a great time at this bar,
no, you don’t have to be a superstar.
Special for the Mad River Boat Trips 40th Anniversary: Hilarious Videos 1988-1992
If you were at West Table on the Snake River in 1991, then you might well be in Patrick Mignano’s 1991 classic Ed’s Whitewater: Back in Business, a spoof of professional whitewater rafting guides in Jackson Hole. Warning: there is some foul language and the technical quality of the video is not optimal. Highlights are in the 30-minute video below.
Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company is the improv comedy troupe that was active in Jackson Hole, Wyoming from 1988-1992. Videos from that period are comedy gold!
The signature sketch “Frozen Roadkills On A Stick,” written by Ed Bachtel, turned the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company from a concept to an established show, running for 22 performances over 8 weeks at the Wort Hotel in Jackson, Wyoming, during the Yellowstone fires of 1988.
In this excerpt from the full show, Dave Rohrer put his spin on Psycho Killer, then Ed Bachtel sells roadkill to Holly Danner and Stephan Parker. Then, as at every show, the grand finale was The Star Spangled Banner as only this troupe could present it.
“Weird Ed” Bachtel, a guide for Barker-Ewing Whitewater, and Stephan “Killer” Parker, a guide for Mad River Boat Trips, co-produced this show under a legal partnership. For the 1988 season, they were joined by Dave Rohrer of Lifelink International/Croakies, and Holly Danner from KMTN-FM. The video for “Cod Piece Dining Room” is from the 1992 show, with Louise Gignoux replacing Holly Danner.
These recording are from the final performances of the 1988 and 1992 comedy troupes. The hour leading up to their first performance (on Independence Day weekend 1988) is immortalized in the underground opera sensation A Roadkill Opera.
A Roadkill Opera is based on a true story. A brief video recorded at the GRAMMYs in February 2015 gives you some background.
The song “Geo expresses the joy of performing. It also discusses the relative merits of the then-new line of cars from Chevrolet.
Comedy Gold! Live Videos from 1988-1992 Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company
Never before seen video from Roadkill!!! Live! is being released in honor of the 40th anniversary of Mad River Boat Trips. Boatmen from Mad River and Barker-Ewing Whitewater put this show on 3 nights a week over 8 weeks at the Silver Dollar Bar in the Wort Hotel in Jackson, Wyoming, during the Yellowstone fires of 1988–and also hosted the areas only open mic night once a week at Spirits of the West Saloon.
The signature sketch “Frozen Roadkills On A Stick,” written by Ed Bachtel, turned the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company from a concept to an established show.
In this excerpt from the full show, Dave Rohrer put his spin on Psycho Killer, then Ed Bachtel sells roadkill to Holly Danner and Stephan Parker. Then, as at every show, the grand finale was The Star Spangled Banner as only this troupe could present it.
“Weird Ed” Bachtel, a guide for Barker-Ewing Whitewater, and Stephan “Killer” Parker, a guide for Mad River Boat Trips, co-produced this show under a legal partnership. For the 1988 season, they were joined by Dave Rohrer of Lifelink International/Croakies, and Holly Danner from KMTN-FM. The video for “Cod Piece Dining Room” is from the 1992 show, with Louise Gignoux replacing Holly Danner.
These recordings are from the final performances of the 1988 and 1992 comedy troupes. The hour leading up to their first performance (on Independence Day weekend 1988) is immortalized in the underground opera sensation A Roadkill Opera.
A Roadkill Opera Releases Lyrics to “In A Clearing”
In A Clearing
Eddie
‘t’s a beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty!
Beauty! Beauty!
A big house, big house, big house, big house.
Big house! Big house!
It must sell quite well, it must sell quite well.
Holly
Hey, what is all this noise?
Eddie
We must sell out the house.
Holly
So tell me now, what is the problem,
can I help?
Eddie
A fart is a fine thing,
it makes people smile.
A fart is a fine thing,
it makes for big laughter.
Make it loud and make it
bump and squeak and make it sticky!
Like this, like this,
(cups hand under arm and pumps)
qui qui, qui qui.
Holly
Seriously?
Eddie
I am as serious as a heart attack
so listen up and listen up tight.
You hear me?
“In A Clearing”
“In A Clearing” needs a punchier line …
or ending.
Holly
Hold your horses.
I think the sketch plays fine.
Eddie
Sure, it does, but…
(Marvin hammers)
Holly
Marvin! Your timing is perfect!
Eddie
Just hear me out, my thinking is …
Holly
This is no time to think.
Eddie
… it’s not really funny.
Maybe if we add a monkey …
Holly
It’s funny enough, it will get laughs.
It is funny enough it will get a good laugh.
Eddie
… it could be a cash cow.
Just add a monkey, it could be a cash cow!
Holly
It is funny enough it will get a good laugh!
Eddie
Just add a monkey, it could be a cash cow!
Holly
This fellow is crazy! Oh, no!
This night is too important, so
don’t change the script on me now.
This night is too important, so
don’t change the script on me now,
don’t change the script right now.
Eddie
Or how ‘bout a llama? With your camera?
Holly
Be hard now to switch from
the script which we staged . . .
. . . and rehearsed and which
takes place in Yellowstone Park.
Eddie
Oh, don’t be like this,
oh, don’t be like this,
oh, don’t be like this,
Holly
Oh me, oh me, oh me.
Eddie
it’s a piece of cake.
Holly
It’s a question of blocking,
a question of blocking,
you are freaking me out!
Eddie
Perhaps a hissing lizard, perhaps a hissing lizard!
It could pick up the pace,
think of what it could do,
it could spook out the bear,
it could bite the bison,
or goose a moose!
(Marvin hammers)
Holly
Marvin! Your timing is perfect!
Eddie
Love it, love it!
(Marvin hammers)
Holly
Marvin!
(Marvin hammers)
Eddie
Love it, love it!
(Marvin hammers)
Holly
Marvin! This is no time to think.
Eddie
Love it, love it, love it, love it!
(Marvin hammers)
Eddie
Just hear out my thinking …
Holly
It is funny enough, yes,
funny enough, yes,
funny, yes, funny, yes, funny, yes, oh
Eddie
please hear out my thinking.
Please hear out my thought;
just add a monkey, it will mean cash. Oh.
(Marvin hammers)
Holly
… enough, yes. Oh, yes.
It will get a good, oh,
it will get a good, oh,
it will get a good laugh.
Eddie
If we add a monkey,
we’ll get a cash cow!
We’ll get a cash cow,
we’ll get a cash cow.
Holly
It’s funny enough
it will get a good laugh.
It’s funny enough
it will get a good laugh.
Eddie
If we add a monkey,
we’ll get a cash cow!
If we add a monkey,
we’ll get a cash cow, yes, sir,
Holly
It will get some laughs. Ah, laughs.
Eddie
get a cow, get a cow, get a cow,
get a cow, get a cow, get a cow, get a cash cow!