Jenna Roxy and the Church of Modern Love
"There haven't been that many female cult leaders in the past," admits writer Ethan Krupp. But at this year's Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, one more will get added to the (fictional) books. Jenna Roxy and the Church of Modern Love is the second Workshop Production at the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival this year, and even though it has only one public performance, it plans to make its mark during the three-week-long event. The original concept goes back to the college days of Jenna Roxy's writers Ethan Krupp and David Reddyk, who happened to sit next to each other in a playwriting class and became instant friends. After going their separate ways after college, the two reunited and have been collaborating ever since. "Personally, I'm most looking forward to the process," says Krupp, "We're having a two week workshop where we can really dig into the material." Prior to the festival, Jenna Roxy had seen a few partial drafts and a handful of the songs had been featured in cabaret shows, but director Jon Martinez's idea of a festival mounting kicked Krupp and Reddyk into high gear to churn out a full-fledged script to workshop.
Structured as a live rock show with the title character as the band leader, Krupp says that the music is ultimately one of his favorite parts of the show in its current state. "Dave's music is fast-paced, and he doesn't write down to people. It's all very intentional." Reddyk unabashedly admits that Jenna Roxy is absolutely "a love letter to the late-80s, underground, new wave, punk, and grunge scenes." The creators seemed hesitant to try to pigeonhole the show into any specific theatrical genre. "I guess it could be considered a dark comedy," Reddyk concedes, "You're watching things play out in real time, and in that realism is some comedy - with sadness, too." At the end of the day, the creative team is ready to hunker down and put in some hard work and get honest feedback from the workshop experience. "It's gonna be brutal, but we'll sit down afterwards and do it, maybe with a bottle of whiskey nearby," says Krupp, with a laugh.
While binging on cough syrup, Dole Roxy played guitar so furiously he created fire. He then collected a group of people who drink it so regularly that he began a commune focused on music, love, and drinking Roxy’s Cough Syrup. When he dies in 1991, his daughter takes over as leader of the church. Fast forward 25 years, and the church is the center of an exposing story in Rolling Stone magazine. Jenna, her mother Lucy, brother Tommy, and two church members, Poppy and Bob, must deal with the massive reaction during a commune service. Book, Music and Lyrics by Ethan Krupp and David Reddyk, Directed by Jon Martinez. Presented by With a Machete productions in conjunction with Bailiwick Chicago.
Check out the Performance Dates page on the 2016 CMTF Blog to find the performance time for Jenna Roxy and the Church of Modern Love and visit cmtf.org for more information and tickets.
