Saturday, October 04, 2008

Archon - The Secret Life of Hugo Mitty

We're in Collinsville, Illinois attending Archon 32. There are so many things to see and do at a science fiction convention. While I was sitting working on yesterday's blog, one of the actors from the play to be presented came by to round people to see the performance which was about to start. Since I love watching live performances, I headed in.

The play???? The Secret Life of Hugo Mitty. Based upon a short story written by James Thurber in 1939 this play went a different direction from the 1947 movie with Danny Kaye as Hugo. In the original Hugo Mitty was a proofreader for a magazine publishing firm. As Hugo does his mundane work, his mind creates a world where he is heroic, poised, self assured, and the master of his fate. Depending on the cover, he might be a western hero or a World War II fighter pilot. In the original story he has the opportunity to rescue the girl of his dreams and ends up living a much more vibrant life than before. This character made such a impact on the culture of the time that the name came to represent day dreamers.

The Trans-Iowa Canal Company Players here at Archon took this character and put a modern spin on it. Hugo Mitty worked in a large store modeled after the BnL store in the movie Wall-e. The actors do a great job moving Hugo from his real world job into his fantasy world as he goes through his day. The villain, the Joker comes from Batman lore. This version had so many references to other movies and science fiction stories that really added to the humor.

The cast had obviously put a lot of work into this production complete with sound effects.

What a fun way to spend some time!

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