Imagine a version of the Second World War as told through the lens of herbivorous dinosaurs trying to restore peace in the 1940s after their carnivorous kin broke a peaceful agreement known as The Treaty of Meat. The Theatre Workshop of Owensboro will present that comedic story with “The Dinosaur Musical,” and auditions will be held this Monday and Tuesday.
Director Wes Bartlett said he has wanted to do the show to add to the “season of fun” that TWO promised to offer this year.
“I remembered how much fun it was [when I was in it] and how much of a positive response we got, and I took it to a play reading committee at Theatre Workshop about 1 year ago,” Bartlett said.
There were some initial nerves, but Bartlett said as the committee made its way through the first four pages, they were “bursting out in laughter.”
The play’s storytelling is very unique, Bartlett said. With it being a WWII parody told through dinosaurs, he said it teeters to that of a Mel Brooks comedy mixed with the “Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoon.
Bartlett said the show pokes at each character tastefully with the diverse cast, including a British T-Rex soldier, a Spanish Pterosaur solider, a French Pachycephalosaurus Maid, and an Italian Corythosaurus Cook.
“It literally makes fun of everyone tastefully, and so that’s one thing that drew me to this show,” Bartlett said.
The humor throughout the show, Bartlett said, will appeal to younger and older audiences alike.
“There’ll be jokes that the kids might not get, but the stereotypes and the innuendos are things that the adults will be drawn to,” Bartlett said.
He plans to make the show unique in its own way for TWO, teasing a new medium for enjoying parts of the musical.
Though it is a musical, Bartlett said he does not want singing to be the central part of the show.
“We’re looking more for good comedic actors that can carry a tune and stay on pitch rather than these beautiful opera singers. The comedy and the acting are more important than having a wonderful singing voice,” he said.
The show stars five adult male and female roles and three teen roles (one male and two females). Auditions will be held this Monday and Tuesday starting at 6 p.m. each night at the Empress Theatre on Frederica Street. Bartlett said they ask all auditioning to have a 60- to 90-second a capella musical performance ready for the audition.
