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The Golfer
Twilight Theatre Company presents
The Golfer
A fast-paced, comic fantasia by two-time Fringe First winner Brian Parks
Directed by Fringe First winner Margarett Perry
Assembly George Square Studio Two
August 3-29 at 3:05 PM
Fringe First Winners Bring THE GOLFER to Edinburgh Festival Fringe
In THE GOLFER – a fast-paced comic fantasia – an ordinary guy skips work to play golf. But on the first tee he’s struck by lightning, thrusting him into a world of hard- nosed detectives, talking golf clubs, the Wife of Bath, and a peculiar underground river.
The play was first produced at The Brick theater in New York City in 2016 and won five New York Innovative Theatre Awards.
You say that your show is not about golf... so what is it all about?
It’s an Alice in Wonderland journey into the mind of an average guy who gets struck by lightening playing golf—we take a mad trip through his fears, his dreams and his wild imagination. Brian Parks is a wordsmith and the show feels like you are looking directly into his brain. It’s a delightfully out-there place to visit!
My inevitable question: what puppets have you got and how are they involved in the action?
We are by no means a puppet show, but the puppets are important characters in the story. Because the main character’s passion is golf—there are several golf items as puppets. My favorite is the Golf Club Oracle. Along his journey he is sent to an oracle—a tiger, a 3-wood and an Irish golf club covers. There is also a scene where a beer 6-pack and a golf hole flag testify against our main character and the Irish golf club cover tries to help. A crowd favorite are The Gonads of the Castrati (see photo attached)—they have a song (and they’re pissed off!).
What kind of reaction have you been getting from audiences?
At first, we were getting too many golf fans into the show—they seemed confused. I think it’s too weird for them. But now we’ve found our audience and people are loving it! The audiences seem to really appreciate the insanity of Brian’s writing and the brilliant cast (see full cast photo below)-Matthew Boston, Brian Dykstra, Patrick Frederic, Vince Gatton, Lori Prince and Alex Sunderhaus.
Do you see the work in any particular theatrical tradition?
It’s an absurdist comedy. We’ve been called Monty Python meets Samuel Beckett and I think that fits. It’s smart, witty and totally insane.
How has your fringe been so far?
The show is totally NUTS! We’ve had a blast performing it. 6 actors play over 75 parts. There’s non stop action and the script is hilarious. I think Brian Parks is a genius. I’ve worked with him several times and his scripts always fascinate me.
New York-based director Margarett Perry is a frequent collaborator with Parks, having directed the world premiere of The House at the Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca, New York, as well as productions of the play at the Human Race Theatre in Ohio and at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Assembly). Her other Fringe credits include the Fringe First award-winning production of Brian Dykstra’s Clean Alternatives (Assembly), No
by Gareth K Vile
