Johnny Pye and the Fool-Killer was an Off-Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...

 musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 with music by Randy Courts, the book by Mark St. Germain

Mark St. Germain

-Career:He has written Camping With Henry And Tom , Out of Gas On Lover’s Leap, Forgiving Typhoid Mary , Ears On A Beatle, The God Committee, The Collyer Brother At Home, The Gifts of The Magi , The Book of the Dun Cow,...

, and lyrics by Randy Courts and Mark St. Germain based on the story of the same name by Stephen Vincent Benét

Stephen Vincent Benét

Stephen Vincent Benét was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Benét is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "By...

. It ran at Lamb's Theatre

Lamb's Theatre

Lamb's Theatre was an Off-Broadway theater located at 130 West 44th Street, New York City inside the Manhattan Church of the Nazarene, near Times Square in New York City. It seated approximately 350 and specialized in musical productions...

 from October 21, 1993 and closed on December 12, 1993 after 54 performances.

Synopsis

The story follows an all-American boy Johnny Pye in 1928, and following the passing of his father, he has advanced awareness of death. The bereaving youngster actually sees the figure of death: It is a deformed, portly workman wearing a smock and cap and toting a grindstone. It shows Johnny his aspirations: he wants to be a doctor, then a painter, then a minister, but ends up being the postmaster in his hometown of Martinsville, United States of America.

Over the course of the show, Death (The Fool-Killer) can only be seen by Johnny. When they first meet, Johnny angrily challenges him. Johnny later leaves to serve in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and when he returns after nearly dying, he steals the girl of his dreams from his arch enemy Wilbur. Through the several decades the show passes through (it ends in 1995), Johnny sees many of his loved ones get taken away. Johnny makes a deal with Death in the early process of their relationship: if Johnny can solve a riddle that the Fool-Killer presents, then Johnny's life will be spared. The second act deals with the happy marriage of Johnny and Suzy, and eventually to when they are great-grandparents and Johnny can't remember any of their names.

Original Cast

It was directed by Scott Harris

Scott Harris

Scott Harris may refer to:*Scott Harris , songwriter and primary member of the musical group the Scott Harris Project-See also:*Scott v. Harris, a case heard before the United States Supreme Court in February, 2007...

, musical staging by Janet Watson, set by Peter Harrison

Peter Harrison

Peter Harrison was a colonial American architect who was born in York, England and emigrated to Rhode Island in 1740. Peter Harrison and his brother, Joseph Harrison, came to the American colonies and established themselves as merchants and captains of their own "vessels." Peter Harrison returned...

, costumes by Claudia Stephens, lighting by Kenneth Posner

Kenneth Posner

Kenneth Posner is an American theatrical lighting designer, working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in American regional theatre. His most notable designs include the musicals Wicked and Hairspray, two highly regarded musicals of the early 21st century...

, sound by David Lawson

David Lawson

David Lawson was a Scottish immigrant who settled on Prince Edward Island. He was, at various times and circumstances, a farmer, a land agent and a politician....

, musical direction by Steven M. Alper

Steven M. Alper

Steven M. Alper is a music composer, primarily for the theatre, as well as an orchestrator and author. He wrote and orchestrated the score for the musical The Immigrant, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations...

, orchestrations by Douglas Besterman, and production stage manager was David Waggett.

It starred Daniel Jenkins as Johnny Pye, Spiro Malas

Spiro Malas

Spiro Malas is an American bass-baritone opera singer.Malas made his operatic debut in 1959 in his native Baltimore and in 1960 he won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He made his New York debut at the New York City Opera where he came to the attention of Joan Sutherland and her...

 as Foolkiller, Kaitlin Hopkins

Kaitlin Hopkins

Kaitlin Hopkins is an American stage, screen, and television actress, the daughter of actress Shirley Knight and stage producer/director Gene Persson....

 as Suzy Marsh, Peter Gerety

Peter Gerety

Peter Gerety is an American actor.Gerety began acting while a student at Boston University, participating in productions at the Charles Playhouse. In 1965, he joined the Trinity Square Repertory Company, a resident theater company in Providence, Rhode Island where he appeared in over 125...

 as Wilbur Wilberforce, Tanny McDonald as Mrs. Miller, Ralston Hill

Ralston Hill

Ralston Hill was a stage actor, April 24, 1927 – October 19, 1996, and had many roles on Broadway, most notably Congressional Secretary Charles Thomson in the musical 1776...

 as Barber, Mark Lotito as Bob, Michael Ingram as Bill, Conor Gillespie as Young Johnny Pie, and Heather Lee Soroka as Young Suzy Marsh.

Song List

• Another Day
• Goodbye Johnny
• Shower of Sparks
• Occupations
• Handle With Care
• The End of the Road
• Challenge To Love
• The Barbershop
• Married With Children
• The Land Where There Is No Death
• Time Passes
• Never Felt Better In My Life
• Epilogue (The Answer)
• Finale