It's a guilty pleasure of which we're all guilty. The eyes on the front of the magazines at the checkout counter in the gas station call out to us when we see line after line of mug shots showcasing the latest jailhouse recruits of our neighborhoods. We may laugh at the smiling faces or the beat-up appearance of some of the arrestees. But we rarely get a glimpse into the psyche of the comical, intriguing and sometimes sad portraits of the not-yet-proven-guilty faces on the covers of those tabloids.
That is, until now.
St. Petersburg playwright Joseph Alan Johnson's Cellmate Confessions gives audiences a new look beyond those mug shots in a sometimes comical, disturbing and often fact-based way. The show, presented by Zazu Productions, opens June 30 and runs through July 10 at the Shimberg Playhouse within the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
“The truth is crime is provocative and people like it,” Johnson says. “Look at the frenzy around Casey Anthony”OJ Simpson. It's a guilty pleasure.”
In Cellmate Confessions, 10 actors portray four characters each. Some are comical”like the drug-addicted poetess who offers the audience a glimpse into her mind”while others are dark”a child molester who explains why it feels natural to follow girls in pretty dresses.
“There really is no subject we won't touch,” says Johnson, who has been involved in local LGBT theater for years and whose cast contains several community members. “Plus there are unlimited resources for this.”
Cellmate Confessions originally premiered at Studio@620 in the summer of 2010 to sold out audiences. This time around, there are a couple of new actors and the script has been updated to include a few high-profile, local crimes.
One in particular caught Johnson's attention”the case of Julie Schenecker, who shot and killed both of her children earlier this year because they “talked back.” The names of the characters have changed in the script, but Johnson says audience members will recognize the stories that played out in the headlines.
“We share Nick Bollea's [Hulk Hogan's son] story and we also introduce the audience to young teacher who had sex with her student,” Johnson laughed. “Of course these are both based on real instances”Debra Lafave was a huge story here.”
The phrase about changing names to protect the innocent doesn't necessarily apply here”although Johnson admits that the characters' story lines are only about the crimes of which they're accused and not about their guilt or innocence.
“I've had audience members say they were frustrated because they wanted to know what happened to the character after trials,” Johnson laughs. “That's not what this play is about. This is about that instant when people are in the holding cell and get that mug shot taken.”
Each character is given a monologue”some are very short while others are much more involved”and there are also a couple of original songs that help lighten the mood. The opening number, in fact, is a “tango number,” Johnson says, that introduces the mug shot process to the audience. Other favorite songs include “Bail Boy” and Bail Bond Betty.”
There is no denying that it was the mug shot magazines that inspired Johnson to write the play. In fact, he wanted to credit the original magazine of the genre”Cellmates”in the title.
“I originally titled the piece Cellmates”Live on Stage, but I could never track down the publisher of the tabloid,” Johnson says. “So I tweaked the title to Cellmate Confessions and ran with it. Now there are at least five tabloids like that original one and they've evolved rather quickly.”
In a genre that used to just list the names, addresses and crimes related to each mug shot, Johnson has seen entertainment pages added into the mix as well.
“Now there are advice columns and lists of where to go for bail bonds and cash advances,” Johnson says. “I would love it if one of those publishers came to the show and based on the feedback we've gotten, someone featured in those papers will eventually see their story on the stage.”
Cellmate Confessions doesn't focus too much on the sexuality of its characters, but one character stands out for Johnson”the case of the transvestite prostitute. That character, played by popular local actor Daniel Harris, provides a few laughs because of its absurdity.
“Daniel plays a transvestite who winds up having sex in a man's convertible along the Gandy Bridge,” Johnson says. “When his heel tears through the rag top, the John gets upset, a fight ensues and the police show up. We get to hear the transvestite's take on the events which is tragic and funny.”
Some audience members may be offended by the stories in Cellmate Confessions and Johnson admits the language is graphic”but not vulgar. But with a number of F-bombs in the script, you can bet leaving the little ones at home is a good idea.
While searching for a publisher and playing several roles in Cellmate Confessions, Johnson is also busily working on two upcoming Tampa Bay productions. The Carrollwood Players are scheduled to present his Gay/Sex/Life this fall and he hopes to premiere his newest work, Green Card Wedding Bridesmaid, at the L-Train in St. Petersburg in early 2012.
S+H:
WHAT: Cellmate Confessions
WHEN: June 30-July 10
WHERE: Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts
TICKETS: StrazCenter.org
