Fountain Hill Community Theater Presents THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

Fountain Hills Community Theater is proud to announce the world premier of a new musical The Man Who Would Be King. Based on the story by Rudyard Kipling and adapted by Peter J. Hill, The Man Who Would Be King tells the epic story of two British ex-soldiers, Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan, who, deciding the British Empire just isn't big enough for men like themselves, plan to create a kingdom of their own. They set out into the country of Kafiristan, intending to use their military knowledge and a crate full of rifles to subjugate the natives and set themselves up as rulers. All goes according to plan until Daniel starts to fall for the tribal chieftain's beautiful daughter.

With original music by Reynaldo Saenz and lyrics by Peter J. Hill and Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Would Be King is, on its surface, a swashbuckling adventure and, at its heart, a tale of romance, passion and brotherhood. The Fountain Hills Community Theater has always been proud of our support of new works and has presented several world premier productions in its history including The Three Musketeers, A Beautiful Noise, Captain Preston; the Pirate Scourge and Mumblety Peg.

The Man Who Would Be King is produced by Anne Kelleher and directed by Peter J. Hill. The show is choreographed by Noel Irick and musically directed by the composer, Reynaldo Saenz. The Man Who Would Be King features; Ray Arnold, Eric Arriola, Andrew Berens, Chad Campbell, Ross Collins, Scott Connelly, Jeff Davey, Brittany Dawn Foster, Alex Gonzalez, Jodie Grief, Peter J. Hill, Noel Irick, Dawn LeSueur, Amy Powers, Roger Prenger, Ryan Smith, Bill Woodfin, Jr., Tom Vinopal and Zoe Zamora.

The Man Who Would Be King will play May 13 -29, 2011. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 2PM. A reception will be held on Opening Night for all those attending that evening, featuring free appetizers, wine and soft drinks. Individual tickets are $25.00 for Adults and $20.00 for children 17 and under. Seniors receive a $5.00 discount on all Thursday performances. Group rates and student rush discounts are available.

All performances are at Fountain Hills Community Theater on its Mainstage at 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd. (The Corner of Saguaro and Rand). Tickets are available through the Theater Box Office at (480) 837-9661 x3. Box Office Hours are 10:00 AM-5:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday. Visit our website at www.fhct.org.

Rudyard Kipling wrote The Man Who Would Be King in 1888. The story was inspired by the exploits of James Brooke, an Englishman who became the first White Rajah of Sarawak in Borneo; and by the travels of American adventurer Josiah Harlan, who was granted the title Prince of Ghor in perpetuity for himself and his descendants. The story was first published in 1888 in "The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales". It also appeared in "Wee Willie Winkie and Other Stories" in 1895, and in numerous later editions of that collection.

A radio adaption was broadcast on the show Escape on July 7, 1947 and again August 1, 1948. In 1975, it was adapted by director John Huston into a feature film of the same name, starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine as the heroes and Christopher Plummer as Kipling. Huston had planned an earlier version intended to star Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable, but that film was never produced.

Fountain Hills Community Theater's Artistic Director and author of the musical, Peter J. Hill says, ‘This is a musical story of two charming and immensely likeable rogues who are not afraid to make their mark on the world. They are quite amoral yet courageous and, in their own way, principled. They are self-centered and determined adventurers who recognize no man-made authority and have little thought for those whose lives they touch, but they are not evil and intend no real harm.'

‘In spite of the implied criticism of the arrogance of the colonial spirit, we hope that audiences cannot help but admire the courage, tenacity, determination, and sheer cheek of our two heroes. They mean no real harm and appear quite unaware of their own shortcomings as they set about their scam, but will ultimately pay a hefty price.'

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