An apocalyptic comedy is coming to Longstreet Theatre. "Mr. Burns, a post-electric play," by Anne Washburn with a musical score by Michael Friedman, debuts Feb. 17 from the University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance.
This dark comedy was described by Kevin Bush, director of marketing for USC's theatre department, as three plays in one — but that one play is like nothing else.
“'Mr. Burns' is an animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another," Bush said.
Beginning in present day, this new play has satirical tones as to what could happen in the future, but also funny undertones that Simpsons fans won’t be able to get enough of.
“The first act is an intimate, dialogue-driven story. The second act is more of a theatre farce. And, the third act is this totally original musical concoction that merges Gilbert and Sullivan with the Simpsons, done with a nod to a classic Greek theatre aesthetic,” he said.
These unique qualities show that this play has a little bit of everything.
“It really meets our mission of staging great scripts that both entertain and enlighten our students and the community at large,” Bush said.
The cast will be comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, and the cast and crew have professional guest artists and directors behind the scenes facilitating production. "Mr. Burns" has been critically acclaimed by The New York Times and is one of the newest up-and-coming modern plays.
Show times are 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, with 3 p.m. matinees on Sunday, Feb. 19 and Saturday, Feb. 25. Student tickets are $12, faculty/staff tickets are $16, and tickets are $18 for the general public.