“Your wife’s asking you to go on an adventure with her, old man, will you so curtly say her nay?”                                                                                          The Old Man and The Moon

There is something magical about the moon…people have danced under its light, sung songs about it, given thanks to a harvest moon, prayed to it, honored it, and lived by it, but the real magic comes from The Electric Company Theater’s September pick of the month, PigPen Theatre Company’s The Old Man and The Old Moon. Held on the spectacular grounds of the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, this intimate evening of critically acclaimed musical theater brings a melodious fairy tale which promises that one may look to the night sky with new wonder and smile as the everlasting memory of this adventurous fable lives on.

As the story goes, the Old Man has been the caretaker of the moon for longer than he can remember – so long in fact, that he doesn’t remember at all! He fills the leaky moon with liquid light when the evening glow dims, and his duty as the moon’s caretaker is his key role in life, but his wife, the Old Woman, is tired and bored and she longs for adventure. She finds herself drawn to a haunting melody and ends up following the music and sailing away in search of the end of the world.

Once the Old Man realizes that she is gone, he sets off to find her. The amazingly colorful and innovative lighting adds the right ambiance to the story, and the folksy rock melodies are simple and beautiful with poignant solos punctuating the tale. With a wonderfully unique take on musical instrumentation, the talented cast’s rich harmonious voices ring out through the moonlit sky.

The tall, faded tarps are hoisted high into the towering trees, and at first glance, Sherwood Forest comes to mind, but soon the audience discovers that this fantastic story is a seafaring fable that navigates around the bend from the protagonist impersonating a long lost hero, to fighting a battle with none other than “the other side,” to “cannon balls” flying through the air, to a couple of important characters ending up in the belly of a very large fish, and so it goes. The Old Man and The Old Moon is chock full of the most epic adventures imaginable, and the energetic actors appear as charmingly excited to be here as a band of minstrels jumping off the pages of a classic fairy tale.

Bobby Gonzalez portrays the Old Man with a sense of humor and a keen sense of who the old man is. Other outstanding performances are by: Andrew Border as Perry and Others, Wesley Chavez as Matheson and Others, Trey Everett at Llewelyn and Others, Brian Johnson as Callahan and Others, Alfonso Neavez as The Captain and Others, Wyatt Logan as Mabelu and Others, Hector Gonzalez as the Violinist and Ensemble, and Chris Standifer as Cookie and others. The entire cast is applauded for bringing this production to life and The Old Man and the Old Moon may very well be the new contemporary classic tale that dreams are made of.

Director: Callie Prendiville Johnson; Stage Management: Zoe Kinne; Technical Design: Matt Mankiewicz. The Electric Company Theatre produces world-class theater in residence at The Muckenthaler Cultural Center.

Brian and Callie Johnson, Co-Artistic Directors of The Electric Company Theatre especially wish to say, “Thank you for being one of our very first audience members at The Muck.” Each month they choose three artists for an evening of storytelling and music. For The Old Man and The Old Moon, tickets may also be purchased at their website: www.electricompanytheatre.org but hurry.

The Muckenthaler Cultural Center 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton, CA 92833

Phone 714 738-6595

www.themuck.org

Runs September 21 and 22, 2021