Melody Bates & J. Stephen Brantley of “R & J & Z,” in conversation with Mariah MacCarthy

Hard Sparks presents R & J & Z at The New Ohio, written by Melody Bates and directed by Joan JubettIf you stop and think about it, of all the classics being overrun by zombies these days, Romeo & Juliet is kind of the most logical to receive the undead treatment.

Playwright Melody Bates was struck with just such a notion after seeing the Met’s opera of Roméo et Juliette, and the result, R & J & Z, is now playing at The New Ohio. Picking up Shakespeare’s story in Act V, Bates keeps the action going long after the dagger through her heart has turned Juliet’s white dress to crimson—and you might be surprised who the villain of the story is…

GSAS! sat down to chat with Melody (who also plays Juliet) after a performance of the show, and thanks to the brilliant suggestion of Hard Sparks Artistic Director J. Stephen Brantley (Mercutio in this production, and past podcast guest), we were joined by playwright Mariah MacCarthy, who’s also adapted Romeo & Juliet with her musical Ampersand.

Listen in as Melody, J. Stephen, and Mariah discuss their respective adaptations of Shakespeare, gender-swapping & cross-dressing, low opinions of Paris, upending the power structure of the world, and how death changes everything.

“…so frequently you have scenes in Shakespeare where the women just stop talking, and the scene continues for several more pages and the men do the talking. And that’s an interesting challenge as an actress because you’re like, ‘well, I have to figure out why I’m not talking—”

“—right, and why I’m still here, not talking—”

“—exactly. So I pointedly wanted to write a scene where that happened to a man.”

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Mariah MacCarthy, playwright and producer of “Sex With Robots”

Mariah MacCarthy, playwright and producer of Caps Lock Theatre's "Sex With Robots" festival88 episodes from the launch of this little podcast, we come full circle, with the return of playwright (and guest on the inaugural episode of the show) Mariah MacCarthy to the mic.

The company she artistic directs, CAPS LOCK THEATRE, is currently running a festival at The Secret Theater in Queens called Sex With Robots, with eight brand new short plays (and a song cycle) all featuring — appropriately enough — sex with robots.

Listen in as Mariah and I discuss the sharing of internet scraps involving robot sex, our real world selves vs. our data doubles, how much we both love Gus Schulenburg, and why the artists of this festival are bringing sex with robots to the stage.

“Why sex with robots?”
“Why not?”

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Mariah MacCarthy, playwright of “Ampersand”

Ampersand, photo by Kacey AnisaWe don’t yet have a logo, and we’re just on a simple WordPress template — but we’ve got a podcast! And it’s a great introduction to what Go See a Show! is all about, if I do say so myself.

Listen to an interview with playwright Mariah MacCarthy, recorded immediately after opening night of her new play Ampersand: A Romeo & Juliet Story in the New York International Fringe Festival.


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