Wicked Gift Productions Back in Business
When troubadour, playwright and longtime original music scenester Phil Fox (Wicked Gift) first staged Gratisphere, an original musical/Sci-Fi burlesque in 2010, it started creative juices flowing he didn’t even know he had. This led to the illustration and publishing of graphic comics, the staging of Gratisphere 2, and his newest production “Eventide (A Medieval Faire Fantasy).”
Slated for three performances, Nov. 13, 14 and 15, “Eventide” will be “the biggest show I’ve ever done,” according to Fox, who regularly rallies the local artistic community into his various art-house projects. Once again Fox and a crew of around 14 will turn the performance space at Fresh Brewed Coffee House, 933A Broadway Street, Myrtle Beach, into a small theater complete with minimalist sets, digital lighting, and live pit band to accompany the singers.
“I’ve always had —and I hate to use the word—some kind of “spiritual” connection and resonance with the music of the Renaissance,” said Fox. “The songs for ‘Eventide’ I’ve written and re-worked over a lifetime, and finally found a home for them.”
Fox has also written the book or the script, and will act as bandleader for the pit band. Accompanying Fox (keyboards/vocals) is bassist Drew Jacobs, drummer Tommy Tipton and electronic wind instrumentalist Bernie Kenerson.
The cast includes Brian Roessler, James Knight, “Buz” Martin, Gray Click, Scott Saba, Joan Hodge, and the Hoopsong Dance Troupe. The musical is directed by Linda Carneiro and also enlists players from the Coastal Leadership Academy.
Fox says this show is less “naughty” than his Gratisphere productions, and carries his “appropriate for all-ages” stamp. From his description and show teaser, he writes: “Who hasn’t wanted be a kid again? Wicked Gift Productions takes on this dream in ‘Eventide,’ an all-ages musical, where for one magical fall day, we are invited to join Jay, a disillusioned 20-something songwriter, on a bittersweet journey of self-discovery through a contemporary medieval faire, meeting classic archetypes: The Minstrel, The Knight, the Evil Jester, all seen through the wondering eyes of a child. The story delivers pointed observations on political correctness, the idealization of love, and the dueling dance between science and magic.”
A “musical celebration of childhood, fall, and all things medieval.”
Tickets ($5) will be available at the door. First come first served.
This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Wicked Gift Productions Back in Business."