Luigi Creatore: From Boca to Off-Broadway with Flamingo Court
How often does a new play get produced off-Broadway by a writer over the age of 85? Luigi Creatore reveals his birth year 1921 upfront in the program bio of Flamingo Court, the comic trilogy that just opened at New World Stages starring Emmy nominee Jamie Farr M*A*S*H and Tony nominee Anita Gillette Chapter Two, TV's 30 Rock. Centering on the residents of a South Florida retirement complex, the play won a warm review from Broadway.com contributor John Simon, who declared that "Creatore, who fully lives up to his name, knows how to create drop-dead comedy." Before retiring to Florida himself in 1981, Creatore was a super-successful record producer and songwriter whose hits included "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love." For Broadway.com, he charted the course of his play from the Boca Raton Community Theater to a commercial run in his home city.
All I know is I'm very happy.
Here I am in New York City with a play I started writing in Florida for the community theater in Boca Raton. It was then titled A Florida Trilogy, and it took place in three condos to tell three different stories of New Yorkers living in the Sunshine State.
Last year, I came up to New York with the first act, or "condo," which I wanted to use as the basis for a musical. You know who was interested in the idea? Nobody! Then I showed it to producer Carolyn Rossi Copeland. She was definitely not interested, but she said, "This is a very funny play. Where did it come from?" I explained that it was part of a trilogy, and she said, "I'd like to read the rest of it."
I said, "Hey, it's just local stuff. Not for New York." And she said, "I'd like to read the rest of it." Now when a producer asks you twice, it's not smart to turn her down. So Carolyn read the script and said to me, "I want to do this play." Which was an offer I couldn't refuse.
A year later, we were in rehearsal off-Broadway at New World Stages—and while trying to look cool, I had to pinch myself to see if this was real.
If you look at the ads and posters for Flamingo Court, you will see that not one friggin' flamingo made it to the finished product. This has nothing to do with the play, but I just thought I'd mention it.
Back to the play: Carolyn and Steven put together a really outstanding cast headed by Jamie Farr and Anita Gillette, each of whom would be asked to play three roles. I was nervous about this until I saw them morph into the different characters as if they had been doing the roles all their lives. I can't tell you how impressed I was! This is a very talented duo and they make sheer magic on the stage.
And now, under Steven's steady hand, and with a brilliant supporting cast of Lucy Martin, Herbert Rubens and Joe Vincent, Flamingo Court is coming alive off-Broadway. I go to the theater for every performance and huddle with Steven and Carolyn as ideas for cuts or new lines are discussed, then rewrite into the night. The next day, it's back to rehearsal with the new material, which goes into the show night. I don't know how the actors can memorize all the stuff that's thrown at them. I can't remember my cell number.
I'm writing this essay before the opening of Flamingo Court, so I don't know how the critics will take to it or what the fate of the play will be.
But for now, I am enjoying every day at the theater. Our incredible stage manager, Eileen Haggerty, does her thing and the house lights dim and the magic starts. I sit and listen to the audience laughing for "Angelina," then fall quiet for "Clara," the one short but serious episode and I've heard a few muffled sobs during this. Then it's back to the fun stuff with "Harry" when the theater is filled with roar after roar of laughter.
To those audiences that sit and listen and laugh and cry, I give my heartfelt thanks. In the twilight of my life, you've given me a great gift.
