Ronnie Larsen has nearly 4,000 followers on Facebook and the gregarious executive producer at the Foundry is not afraid to take each and every one of them along for the ride, as he prepares his latest productions.
Scroll through his feed, and you may find yourself anywhere from consignment shops to convenience stores and street bazaars to dollar stores. Larsen is the first to admit he has no shame when it comes to finding just the right set decorations, costumes and — for his more risqué productions — “props.” And, he always manages to stay on budget!
Some shows prove easier than others and his latest show, a new musical opening this weekend in Wilton Manors and based on Wendy Graff’s play, “A Shonda,” was going to be a bit of a challenge.
“I really need a personal shopper, like those fancy ladies at Bloomingdale’s,” exclaimed Larsen with a throaty laugh. “This show is like ‘Brokeback Mountain’ meets ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’ Where do I even start?”
Two worlds collide in the story about two men in Memphis, who fall deeply in love. A young Orthodox Jewish man and a down home country boy struggle to reconcile their relationship as their communities fight to keep them apart, using religion as a wedge.
“This is the first musical ever written to explore these two worlds through the lens of a gay relationship,” Larsen noted, and he wanted to “get it right.”
Composer Dennis Manning returned to the Foundry, where he achieved critical success with Larsen on “Now & Then,” a musical inflected with unmistakable country twang, along with music director Bobby Peaco, a Broadway veteran who interpreted modal Hebrew harmonies. Carbonell-winning New York choreographer Oren Kornblum, a master of the very different dance styles of each community, also joined the production.
Creative team in place, Larsen once again went shopping and his finds were soon posted for the world to see, including Hebrew books from a local second-hand shop and even shtreimel, the furry donut-shaped hats worn by some Ashkenzi Jews at celebrations and religious holidays. He even modeled wigs with curly sidelocks, a surprising find.
When it came to props for other scenes, the search became more challenging. Followers accompanied Larsen on July 4 as he adventured into central Florida in search of a Confederate flag. (Amazon doesn’t sell them.)
He got his flag and, for five dollars, took his picture with a Donald Trump impersonator who happened to be British: “Seriously! I actually shot a video, but it’s too horrifying to post. I was respectful and kept my views to myself...”
His easiest find was the rainbow-striped Mylar curtain that got its social media debut in a video posted just hours after with the help of Plays of Wilton staff.
“There is just so much to do before opening night, but the shopping turned out to be much more fun than I expected,” Larsen added. “Just wait until [audiences] see the show!”
Ronnie Larsen Presents and Plays of Wilton present the world premiere of “A Shonda,” July 10 – Aug. 11 at the Foundry, 2306 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors. Tickets start at $27.50 at RonnieLarsen.com.
This content is brought to you in partnership with Ronnie Larsen Presents and Plays of Wilton (POW!)
