Reeling
by Barry Kornhauser
With music by Michael Koerner
In the spirit of the silent movie era, Reeling brings the timeless style and joy of vintage film to the stage. Without a single spoken word, Reeling tells the story of the Little Fellow, based on the film persona of silent movie great Buster Keaton. His marriage proposal turned down by Beloved, the Little Fellow heads to the big city to make something of himself, and winds up in a motion picture studio where he is mistaken for the big-shot director. Comic mayhem ensues with an impossibly happy ending, as our hero and his girl literally escape the chaos into the silver screen. Riffing off of Keaton’s genius, Reeling is not so much a silent movie on stage as a theatrical interpretation of the genre, a celebration of the human spirit and the enduring power of art.
“The show’s roots lie in the time-transcendent soil of the pratfall and the struggle of the little guy to make good. From that fertile ground comes laughter – and wisdom – that rings loud and clear.” – St. Paul Pioneer Press
“What has emerged is a story and performance noted as much for its poignancy as for its pratfalls.” – American Theatre Magazine
*Winner of the 2006 IVEY Award for Playwriting*
Type: Silent Play with Music
Pages: 29 pg
Casting Breakdown: 15 roles plus ensemble
Estimated run time: 60 minutes
Originally commissioned and produced at Children's Theatre Company in 2005