BWW Blog: Rommy Sandhu of THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN - A Wonderful Plan

The first week began on a high, a mile-high to be exact. Just like the miners who came to Colorado in search of treasure, the cast, crew and design team of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, led by Kathleen Marshall journeyed to the Denver Center to begin telling the story of Margaret "Call Me Molly" Tobin Brown. As with most "First Day of School" days, the energy, excitement and anticipation permeated the room. After a brief introduction, DCPA Producing Artistic Director Kent Thompson began by telling us how truly special Margaret "Molly" Brown is to the people of Denver and how thrilled the community was to have this production premiere at the DCPA.

Book writer Dick Scanlan related his journey, regaling the cast with how strongly Richard Morris wanted Molly's story retold. He (Dick) waited until the story spoke to him, before he launched into the myths surrounding Molly Brown. What he discovered was a woman with an unwavering spirit. She had a deep-rooted desire or need, if you will, to help others.

Kathleen shared the complexity of breathing new life into what had become theater lore. Most theater and lay-folk alike have a Molly Brown they know from the film and even the original stage version. With that in mind, Kathleen, Dick and Music Director Michael Rafter have meticulously rediscovered Molly's story, going so far as to dig deep into the Meredith Willson songbook to find music that had been cut and even tried elsewhere.

Halfway through the week, we took a trip to the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver. It was a terrific time for the cast to bond and to have a glimpse into her life.

With that said, the distance from Leadville to Denver is about "80 miles as the crow flies"...and we've got a lot of ground to cover. So, it's back to the script, score, and staging with a Wonderful Plan. Here's to you, Mr. Morris and Wilson. Molly ain't down yet- there's more to come!

'Til next time...