by Kirby Lindsay, posted 29 June 2012
When owner Peter Glick first talked about opening The Backdoor @ Roxy’s, he hinted at plans for live entertainment outside the norm – something other than music blaring at ear-splitting volume, or surround screen set-ups that allow customers to view a dozen sporting events at once. True to his innuendo, the Backdoor has provided a venue for several unique performances, including the BackBar Beauties Burlesque and the Interactive Murder Mystery Dinners produced by Events On The Edge.
Now, on Sunday, July 8th, Fremonster David Roman (who has sworn, “I will still live in Fremont when I’m a corpse!”) plans to add to the awesome outrageousness, and alternative programming, at the Backdoor. He has produced a theatrical evening of lust and laughs (à la Little Red Studio) that he has playfully named ‘Slightly Spicy Dinner Theater’.
Little Red Studio Revisited?
Audiences may recognize Roman as the MC (and organizer) of the annual Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving at Fremont Oktoberfest. He’s also been the hard-working, determined and driving force behind building a park on the city-owned land at the south end of the Fremont Bridge. “I’m a Renaissance man,” he quipped about the diversity of his involvements – from environmental science to Fremont Arts Council.
On July 8th, Roman plans to show off his skills as an actor, as part of a cast he assembled from a theatrical troupe started by Jeff Hengst. The company first worked together in Hengst’s Eastlake studio, then found a stage and audience for about three years at the Little Red Studio on Dexter – until the venue closed in March of 2011.
“The vibe of the Backdoor is very similar to the Little Red Studio,” Roman explained, “the first time I stepped in the Backdoor, I had a flashback on LRS.” Roman saw an opportunity to resurrect a similar energy, and reassemble some of the performers and crew, to hopefully recreate the magic they had. “What [Hengst] did best was letting artist’s express themselves,” Roman said.
Also a fire performer – at one time with Cirque du Flambé – Roman had originally approached Glick about staging fire performances in the Backdoor. “When the Fire Marshall turned us down,” Roman explained, “we kept discussing, ‘what’s the next thing?’”
The Incubation of a Producer
A big appeal of the Little Red Studio performances – and the whole reason Roman could work with that troupe – was that they allowed him to rehearse and perform when he had time, and no school work or errant pumpkins to tend to. “In most performance troupes,” he observed, “you have to give a level of commitment. At the Little Red Studio, there was a real flexibility.”
This did give the shows a high level of spontaneity, and less dependability. “You would never see two shows that looked the same,” Roman reported. If something didn’t work, he said, the troupe wouldn’t do it again, but if it worked, they’d expand on the idea. “It was an incubator,” Roman said.
“It had been 15 years since I’d acted,” Roman explained when he first joined the troupe, “but LRS allowed me to get back on stage and work those artistic muscles. Since the closure of the Studio (and the attached Bistro) the performers have splintered off to work on occasional Speakeasy Shows, and/or Flying Mountain Poetry.
A Production Full of Flavor, And Fun
Roman has seen a need to replace the Studio, or at least reassemble it for a night. For the show at the Backdoor, he gathered together a cast of seven, three musicians (to provide live music during dinner,) two stage hands and the show’s directors Cherilyn Brooks and Ian Stone.
“I do producing work for Oktoberfest,” Roman acknowledged, “but that was already set up.” Another Fremonster, Jon Hegeman, created the Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving, and Roman carries on the pumpkin pulverizing tradition. With ‘Slightly Spicy,’ he said, “I consider this my first real producing job.”
“Just as I was graduating from college, I felt I really needed art in my life,” he explained. This month, Roman received his degree from the University of Washington in Environmental Science & Resource Management. He’s now doing research work, and has a potential job lined up, but he also wants to exert some creativity.
He also said that Glick’s accessibility, and willingness to encourage a Fremont artist, have made this effort worthwhile. “It’s been really rewarding,” he said, “I’ve had really good people to work with.”
“This is going to be a lot of fun,” Roman enthused about the show, “it’s going to be a full experience.” The cast will perform three short, sexy plays (Roman has a role in one of them,) with two being works previously produced at Little Red Studio. From the Backdoor dining room, they will carve out a three-quarter round stage. In between the plays, “there should be sufficient time to eat,” Roman allowed. The elegant, and intimate, space doesn’t give servers room to work during the plays, so the audience will be able to talk and eat during intermissions, accompanied by live music.
Tickets for this evening of ‘Dinner Theater with a Bite’ can still be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets for $50 per person. A ticket includes the show, and a special, three-course menu created by the Backdoor culinary team with a glass of wine.
In this entirely 21+ venue, Roman hopes to offer not only an opportunity to savor a delicious dinner, but also a full flavor, mischievous evening of entertainment. And, as with most of shows once staged at the Little Red Studio, this could well be a one-time-only opportunity. Don’t miss out!
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©2012 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.