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Interview: Adan Inteuz of A SERIOUS HOUSE ON SERIOUS EARTH at Alley Kat Bar And Lounge
By: Brett Cullum Nov. 06, 2015
On November 10th at 8p.m. in the Alley Kat Bar and Lounge on Main Street something different is happening. Local actor Adan Inteuz presents his Batman play for a one time off reading. It's a theatrical adaptation of ARKHAM ASYLUM: A SERIOUS HOUSE ON SERIOUS EARTH, the graphic novel created by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. The story is a hard-hitting piece of psychological horror taking place at the infamous Arkham Asylum. Writer Adan has assembled some of Houston's most interesting acting talent to bring to life such iconic characters as Two Face, the Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, and Poison Ivy. And of course, there are always Batman and the Joker to contend with. The reading is free to audience members, and is located at 3718 Main Street.
Why are you so fascinated with Batman?
Adan: Batman has always been an interesting character to me, but equally fascinating are the villains he is constantly surrounded by. I love the varied ways those characters are portrayed in each story arc.
What made you want to adapt this graphic novel?
Adan: I chose "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth" mainly because I had never seen the characters depicted in such a way before. What McKean and Morrison did with that novel was nothing short of brilliant. For years I had been toying with the idea of a super hero theatrical production. But after the nightmare that was the Broadway version of SPIDERMAN I was discouraged from the idea. But then I read this one and it got me thinking, "Now THIS could work!".
The telling of this particular Batman story arc works for a number of reasons. For starters you wouldn't need anything like ropes and pulleys zipping the actors through the air. The set, costumes, makeup, lighting and sound design would be the "special effects". The writing of the story really is thoroughly engaging, and the rest would just be window dressing.
Do you think BATMAN on stage will work? And is this reading being done in hopes to spark interest in a bigger production?
Adan: Absolutely he can work in the theatre. The only way to give this story the spotlight it deserves would be in a large auditorium with a sizeable budget. Mind you, that's not in the interest of making the thing a gaudy spectacle. However, in a small, intimate setting I'm afraid the audience would simply be too close for it to have the intended effect. The set would, by far, be the most challenging element. Not only in terms of designing and building it out, but also by coordinating it into the performance so that it becomes something of a character itself.
Tell me about some of the cast that are helping out for this one night only staged reading. .
Adan: I couldn't have asked for a better cast at this stage of development. Some people I've worked with before, such as Lance R. Marshall. He's written, directed and starred in two award winning short films for Watergun Outlaw Productions. "The Demon Deep in Oklahoma" and most recently, "The Taking of Ezra Bodine". He has helped talk me through, artistically, the more anxiety attack-inducing points of this journey. Jay, Dave, John Stevens, Avery and Renee I have all performed together, and I am thoroughly confident in them bringing this to life. And then there are others in the cast that heard about the project and were interested enough to lend their talents. Rebecca Bernstein and Micah Obregon both slayed in their auditions, and Roderick Aust was a late addition who was perfect for his role. Ty, CJ, Wayne White; I'm very lucky to have the cast I have. Also my good friend, John Lazo, has been a godsend throughout this process as my Executive Producer.
What do you want the message of the show to be?
Adan: What I would like the message of the "show" to be is excitement. I want people to leave saying, "Could you imagine how cool that would be on a stage?!" Hopefully people find it so enthralling that, as an audience member, they want to see this produced on a large scale. Now, as far as the message of the STORY, I'll leave that ambiguous.
What can the audience expect Tuesday night?
Adan: Tuesday night, the audience can expect to be proven entirely wrong about any preconceived notions they may have with this being "just a staged reading". A staged reading about Batman, no less. Not a slight against the classic show, but it's definitely not your campy, TV series Batman. The tone of this story is very real and very dark. And the cast, I'm confident, will deliver in spades.
SERIOUS HOUSE ON SERIOUS EARTH is a one night staged reading event at the Alley Kat Bar and Lounge 3718 Main Street at 8pm on Tuesday November 10th. Admission is free to the public.
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