A Naughty Knight

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A Naughty Knight
Music Chuck Strand
Lyrics Chuck Strand
Book William Martin
Productions 2001 Jewish Repertory Theatre at Duke Theatre (Off-Off-Broadway)

A Naughty Knight is a 2001 musical comedy play written by William Martin with music and lyrics by Chuck Strand. The play premiered at the Off-Off Broadway Duke Theatre in a production by the Jewish Repertory Theatre.

Charles "Chuck" Strand is an American theater composer and lyricist. Strand, along with Gene Curty and Nitra Scharfman, wrote the music, book and lyrics to the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominated rock opera The Lieutenant. He also arranged the music and was the musical director for the show.

Contents

Plot

A Naughty Knight is based loosely on Mark Twain's short story "A Medieval Romance." It tells the story of Constance, a young princess living with her father in exile on a desert island. The princess dresses up as a boy and seizes her chance for freedom. She returns to the zany kingdom ruled by her father's evil twin brother, King Berger. She soon falls for Jervis, and is romantically pursued by the king's daughter.

Mark Twain American author and humorist

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "The Great American Novel".

Productions

A Naughty Knight opened in previews at the Duke Theater on May 20, 2001, with an official premiere on June 3, 2001. The production was directed by the play's author, William Martin. Steven Silverstein directed, with Rebecca Kupka in the role of Constance, Christopher J. Hanke as Jervis, and Mark Manley as Constance's father, the exiled prince. The production closed as scheduled on June 17, 2001. [1] [Notes 1]

Christopher Jason Hanke, often credited as Christopher J. Hanke, is an American actor known for his roles on Broadway and television.

Reception

A Naughty Knight received mixed reviews. The New York Times said of its book "[its] wordplay amounts to little more than sophomoric double-entendre" [2] but praised its music, saying "[its] music and lyrics by Chuck Strand have consistent charm." [2] Matthew Murray, writing for Talkin' Broadway, noted that the book "tends to get off track during the second act, when it seems to have more story than it completely knows how to handle," [3] while Strand's score includes songs that "drive a point much further than it needs to go… [and] have a tendency to stop the show dead, or repeat what has already been covered in dialogue." [3]

<i>The New York Times</i> Daily broadsheet newspaper based in New York City

The New York Times is an American newspaper based in New York City with worldwide influence and readership. Founded in 1851, the paper has won 125 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper. The Times is ranked 17th in the world by circulation and 2nd in the U.S.

Notes

  1. Unlike Broadway productions that schedule an open-ended run until ticket sales wane, Off-Broadway repertory companies often schedule shows for only a limited run, in keeping with the repertory nature of the company.

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References

  1. Jones, Kenneth (17 June 2001). "A Naughty Knight says Nighty-night at JRT in Mahnattan June 17". Playbill.
  2. 1 2 Van Gelder, Lawrence (4 June 2001). "THEATER REVIEW; Land Where Dressers And Bows Are Cross". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 Murray, Matthew (4 June 2001). "A Naughty Knight" . Retrieved 19 October 2016.

Further reading

International Standard Book Number Unique numeric book identifier

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