A-LISTS theatre
“If you liked the girls, you’re gonna LOVE the boys!” touts the bubbly poster for La Mirada
ROGER BEAN SHOWS US THAT LIFE COULD BE A DREAM
by david vera
Theatre’s latest hit, Life Could Be A Dream. From the same rich imagination behind The Marvel- ous Wonderettes comes Roger Bean’s extended glimpse into the chirpy “doo-wop” world of Springfield. The boys in question are the members of the high-school band, the Crooning Crab- cakes—the same boys who were banned from the prom and allowed the Wonderettes to play. This time, the quartet of cuties set their sights on making it big, but a romantic blast from one boy’s past may prove to be a precarious distraction for them all. The Rage Monthly was lucky to snag some rehearsal time away from Writer/Director Roger Bean to reminisce about the depth of early 1960s tunes and the stories that can be wrung from them.
Congratulations on the success of Life Could Be A Dream. I wouldn’t call it a sequel toThe Marvelous Wonderettes, but it certainly is quite a tie-in. What prompted you to tell the “boys’ story” this time? I kind of decided to create a world around Springfield—which is whereWonderettes
takes place. I thought it would be fun to find out about some of the characters in the town. It’s a fun way for fans to see it and say, “Hey, I know that person! He or she is con- nected to so-and-so.” And you get to learn more about the boys who were banned from the prom. A nice little hook, I suppose. I understand thatWonderetteswas inspired by your mother’s musical talent. What originated Life Could Be A Dream? I actually wrote Life Could Be A Dream when we were doing the Los Angeles produc-
tion of Wonderettes back in 2006. I was going to do a new show in Milwaukee and I wanted to stay in the 1960s. I figured that working on the two shows, I could use my brain two-fold and not have to work too hard! I thought, “If I’m working on the girls in L.A., why not work with the boys and mix it up a little bit?” Your selection of songs really exemplifies the spirit of that era in music. Your other productionWhy Do Fools Fall in Love?is also set in the ‘60s. What keeps drawing you to that era? Some might say I’m stuck in a rut! It’s when I grew up! I was really young but that’s the
music my mom played around the house. This music always spoke to me. It tells a story. A lot of later music in the ‘80s and ‘90s is more about the production of the sound—
which is wonderful in its own right—but the songs don’t tell the same type of story. That’s why I really love the ‘60s. The songs are little one-acts in themselves and I love to figure out how to tell those stories onstage. Your latest work, Summer of Love, is a somewhat of a psychedelic, counterculture endeavor into the 1960s. It’s late ‘60s, hippie, psychedelic…but not too much. If you get too psychedelic,
there’s no story. Some of that music, you can get lost in and never find your way out of! Are there other genres behind which you enjoy finding new meaning? I’ve done two shows with country music. That is great storytelling music! And there
are a lot of closeted country fans—even more closeted than gay people! I do a country show and they all come out of the wood work. They go, “I LOVE country!” I’m like, “I had no idea! You dress so nicely. Who knew!?” Be on the lookout for Bean’s latest nostalgic laugh-fest set in the decade of disco! Visit rogerbean. com for all the latest.
Life Could Be A Dream runs through Sunday, November 20—Wednesday and
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. La Mirada Theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada, CA 90638. For tickets go to,
lamiradatheatre.comor call 562.944.9801 or 714.994.6310.
“I figured that working on the two shows, I could use my brain two-fold and not have to work too hard! I thought, “If I’m working on the girls in L.A., why not work with the boys and mix it up a little bit?”
20 RAGE monthly | NOVEMBER 2011
THE MASTER OF MIDCENTURY MELODIES
Photography by Michael Lamont
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