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Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

by Amy Marie Santana
Exchange Staff

     In the year of its 54^th anniversary, Robert Lawson will introduce a story where books are illegal and people are not allowed to think their own thoughts.  Lawson’s musical adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, previously performed at Andy’s Summer Playhouse in Peterborough, NH, will debut at Franklin Pierce University this spring.

     "It's not a musical like Cats or anything like that," said Lawson referring to the stereotype of cheesy musicals. Using the basic story and characters in Bradbury’s original version, Lawson added music to make the show. "It actually really sings well. The score is very sort of jazzy and a bit cool, in that kind of detached way. It fits very well with the tone of the story."

     Casting proved to be a difficult task when forty or so people showed up to audition. Not being able to take everyone proved to be one of the toughest parts of working on this production. This, however, was described by Lawson as a "high class problem," because it made casting difficult in terms of not being to choose everyone rather than having more serious difficulties. 

     When asked what sort of characters the audience would encounter, Lawson said, "They’re very bland, and they’re kind of sleepwalking through their lives. They watch a lot of television, and they listen to music all the time with these things called ear thimbles, which are kind of like iPods. They're all alone in their own little world, floating through. Nothing really matters, they don’t care about anything."

     451 will show in the Warehouse Theater April 10^th through April 12^th and on April 16^th through April 19^th.