BWW Previews: GAME OF TIARAS turns tragedy into laughter at Playmakers Baton Rouge

What do you get when you combine the plot twists of Game of Thrones with the premise of the Shakespearean tragedy King Lear and characters from some of Disney's most iconic princess movies?

The result is GAME OF TIARAS, a comedic play by Don Zolidis and is the newest streaming production from Playmakers Baton Rouge as part of their efforts to bring live entertainment safely to the homes of their audiences. BroadwayWorld.com sat down with show director Shane Stewart to talk about the play's premise, a mermaid with a mic, and how this tragedy will bring nothing but laughs.

BroadwayWorld.com: What is GAME OF TIARAS about?

Stewart: GAME OF TIARAS is the tale of a King and his three (well, there are a few others too) daughters and their mad dash to take control of England in their father's mental absence. There is plenty of political intrigues, swordplay, blood, and romance on their journey

BWW: What attracted you to direct the show? What is your past involvement with Playmakers?

Stewart: I have wanted to do this show since I first saw it on a shelf many years ago! I am obsessed with the Song of Ice and Fire series and have read each book and watched every episode. Seeing a parody of it is right up my alley. GAME OF TIARAS is my second show I have directed at Playmakers, the last being "How to Survive Life in a Quarantine" just a few months ago. I am also a member of the Playmakers board of directors.

BWW: How does it pay tribute to Disney and Game of Thrones?

Stewart: Well, the Disney connection is always prevalent, whether it be through the appearance of characters like Cinderella or Belle or the random cameos of talking snowmen and singing candelabras. Even a song or two shows up. Zolidis is always very cheeky about it all, never calling the snow queen Elsa, instead referring to her as a public domain character written by Hans Christian Anderson repeatedly. Zolidis has the characters tease each other about everything, whether it be the mermaid's lack of legs, Prince Charming not being able to tell who Cinderella is other than by foot size, or the Snow Queen's hate for the phrase "Let it Go." The Game of Thrones connection is a little bit more subtle, but it is there. Each queen rules an army that they are trying to take over England with. Belle teams with the French, the Snow Queen has her horde of undead icemen (White Walkers anyone?), and the mermaid represents a force from outside of England coming to take over with an army of outsiders (Daenerys). There is even a red wedding, and of course, there is plenty of murder and mayhem!

BWW: Do I sense a King Lear theme?

Stewart: Absolutely! There are many King Lear quotes throughout the show, and at one point, the princesses face off with one another shouting Shakespearean insults from King Lear. Of course, the King dividing his kingdom into three is King Lear's plot, but it goes further than that. After giving up his kingdom, the King wanders the countryside with his sidekick (in this case, Smeagol from Lord of the Rings) as he goes insane.

BWW: What is your vision for this production?

Stewart: I want to bring out the farcical nature of this production while still paying tribute to its inspirations. Even though it is based on two very tragic stories in Game of Thrones and King Lear, this is a comedy, and we try to make it as ham-fisted and campy as possible. No one's feelings are spared.

BWW: What would you say is the overall theme of the show?

Stewart: Well, in the words of the Spice Girls, the theme is definitely "Girl Power." These princesses are not your average Disney princesses and quite frankly do not need a prince to save them.

BWW: How have rehearsals been going? Any anecdotes you would like to share?

Stewart: Rehearsals have been great! Everyone has embraced the challenges of the virtual platform and learning to work within the camera's bounds. We have found things that we can do, whether it be angling the camera up at us or down onto us, to create different moods for each scene. Anecdotes from rehearsal? Well, I have a mermaid who forgets to unmute her mic before she starts talking every time, lol. We have started trying to predict if she will turn it on or not each night. Frankly, these group of girls (and my three boys) have been a pure joy to work with. So much talent! And we even did a whole rehearsal with Elizabeth McDonald, our Snow Queen, practicing how to use our eyebrows, so that was different!

BWW: What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

Stewart: Honestly, I hope they have fun watching it more than anything. And if they learn a little bit about Shakespeare in the process, even better!

BWW: Anything else you would like to add about the show that I didn't ask about?

Stewart: One of the most challenging things I've ever had to do in my career has been trying to figure out how to make swordfights and dances work on a zoom format!

Performances
Friday, November 6th at 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 7th at 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 8th at 2:00 pm

Tickets can be purchased at PlaymakersBR.org or by calling (225) 578-6996. Once your purchase is complete you will receive a special link to view the show online via Zoom.

General Admission: $15

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