Kentucky Cycle Playwright Schenkkan to Premiere Adaption of The Devil and Daniel Webster at SCT, Starting February 17

Seattle Children's Theatre will present the world premiere of The Devil and Daniel Webster, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winning, local playwright Robert Schenkkan from the classic short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. Rita Giomi will direct.

The cast for The Devil and Daniel Webster includes Alban Dennis as Spark, Allen Galli as Miser Stevens, Sean G. Griffin as Scratch, Carol Roscoe as Abigail Stevens, Lathrop Walker as Jabez Stone, and Richard Ziman as Daniel Webster. Connell Brown Jr, Chance Mullen, and Lada Vishtak round out the ensemble.

The production features choreography by Jason Ohlberg, set design by Matthew Smucker, costume design by Sarah Nash Gates, light design by Michael Wellborn, sound design by Chris R. Walker, puppet design by Tristan M.T. Dalley, puppet coaching by Douglas N. Paasch, dialect coaching by Alyssa Keene, and magic consulting by Steffan Soule.

Set in New Hampshire in 1829, The Devil and Daniel Webster tells the story of an ill-fated farmer, Jabez Stone, who sells his soul to the devil for seven years of luck and prosperity. When it is time to pay the devil his due, Jabez calls on attorney Senator Daniel Webster to lend a hand. Together they take the devil to court, where they are faced with a jury stacked with notorious American villains from throughout history, such as Al Capone and Lizzie Borden.

"Robert Schenkkan has utilized the magic realism that Benét employed to craft this tall tale ghost story, and the result is a fantastical play that not only sparks introspection but also entertains with its alternately sinister and stalwart characters," said SCT Artistic Director Linda Hartzell. "At its heart, this story warns us of the consequences of wanting something so much that you are willing to lose sight of yourself, or compromise yourself, to achieve it."

Stephen Vincent Benét's short story The Devil and Daniel Webster was based on Faust, but was set in 19th-century New England. It was published in 1937 in the Saturday Evening Post and won an O. Henry Award. Benét adapted the tale into a one-act opera premiering in 1939, and it was also made into a 1941 motion picture entitled All That Money Can Buy. Benét won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929 for his quintessential American war poem John Brown's Body.

Schenkkan won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for The Kentucky Cycle in 1992.

The Devil and Daniel Webster, recommended for ages 11 and older, runs February 17 through April 1. For tickets call (206) 441-3322, or visit www.sct.org

 

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