The Key West Players begin their exciting 2006/07 season with the World Premiere of Carl Hiaasen's Lucky You, a rollicking stage adaptation of Hiaasen's best-selling comic novel. Lucky You has been adapted by London director, Matthew Francis, and University of South Florida/Tampa Theatre Professor, Denis Calandra. The two are also the guest directors, guiding a cast of nine local and imported actors through one of Hiaasen's best comic capers. According to the New York Times, "Lucky You is witty, colorful and entertaining!" The play opens on December 20th and runs Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm until January 13, 2007.
Lucky You begins in the fictional town of Grange, Florida with its Road-Stain Jesus and Weeping Madonna "miracles." Grange is also where JoLayne Lucks wins a $28 million Florida lottery, hoping to save a pristine piece of land from development. However, the other winning ticket belongs to Bodean Gazzer and his raunchy side-kick, Chub, who believe they are entitled to the whole jackpot. After stealing JoLayne's ticket, the two setup an underground militia to protect themselves from a NATO invasion. JoLayne enlists Tom Krome, an investigative journalist, to help her retrieve her winning ticket. A wild chase ensues as JoLayne and Tom pursue the two heavily-armed psychopaths, their dim-bulb young recruit and a hostage (a Hooter's waitress) across a trail of mayhem and hilarity.
Author Carl Hiaasen is one of the most successful contemporary novelists of our time. His astute observations of the comically bizarre life in the Sunshine State have earned him an international audience. Highly prolific, his novels have been published in 30 languages. The London Observer called him " America 's finest satirical novelist." Beginning his career as a reporter with The Miami Herald in 1985, he has been writing columns that have outraged just about everyone in South Florida, including major politicians, law officials and even his own bosses. A resident of the Florida Keys, his latest novel Nature Girl has just been published to excellent reviews.
In 2003, Francis and Calandra teamed up to adapt one of Mr. Hiaasen's novels, eventually deciding on Lucky You, seeing the potential it possessed for the stage. After a workshop at USF/Tampa, the creators performed a staged reading for Mr. Hiaasen in his home. Although protective of his work, Hiaasen was very impressed with the adaptation, giving his full blessing to the creative team to proceed with a production. The Key West Players are proud to be the first to present this high-octane romp.
Director Matthew Francis was the Artistic Director of London's Greenwich Theatre for eight years, garnering rave reviews for his thriving, popular theatre. He has directed at the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and the Chichester Festival Theatre, as well as productions in London's West End. He has also published adaptations of A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield through Samuel French.
