Artistic License

Latest Brownbrokers production features action-packed drama

The Brown University Brownbrokers present the 64^th annual original student musical Artistic License Thursday through Monday, Dec. 2-6, 1999, in the Stuart Theatre of the Catherine Bryan Dill Center for the Performing Arts. An action-packed drama, Artistic License is set in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Artistic License, an original musical production, premières in the Catherine Bryan Dill Center for the Performing Arts at Brown University at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999. The action-packed musical drama is the Brownbrokers’ 64^th annual original student show. It features a 22-member cast and a 14-piece orchestra.

A two-act musical set in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Artistic License is a high-energy drama with a plot that reads like a Hollywood action film. The story centers around John Markowsky, a divorced ex-cop turned butcher; his daughter, Lucy; and Jen, his estranged wife.

Act one finds John and Lucy attending an awards gala at the museum, when a group of terrorists dramatically take over the black-tie ceremony. John, who witnesses the siege from the bathroom, is left to use his wit and his police training to rescue his daughter and the other guests from the band of marauders.

Student co-writers Ben Kruger ’01 and Kristofer Rutman ’01 and student composer Sasha Gordon ’01 have worked almost non-stop on the story for nearly a year. The idea struck in December. They wrote the first half in February finished the final act during spring semester.

The final work has more than 25 original compositions. Among the tunes are “Beautiful Baby,” a ballad performed by John, which expresses his deep love for his daughter, and “Fires Blaze,” a tune sung by Jen, the mother, which tells of her estrangement from her husband.

“The opening number is a super piece that features the full cast – museum guests and terrorists – preparing for the evening’s climatic events,” says Christopher Hayes, director.

Not wanting to reveal too much of the final act, Hayes said the production turns inward to examine the culture of violence and to question who the true hero might be. “In the end,” Hayes said, “Artistic License is a perfect blend of art and entertainment.”

The show continues Friday through Monday, Dec. 3-6, at 8 p.m. with a special matinee performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. Tickets are $13 for the general public, $9 for senior citizens and Brown employees, and $5 for students. The Performing Arts Center is located at 77 Waterman St. For additional information or reservations, call the box office at 863-2838.