THE RECKONING OF KIT & LITTLE BOOTS
A Metaphysical Buddy Comedy in 2 Acts
A comedy about finding your muse and then getting stabbed in the face.
Synopsis: As he lies dying of a stab wound to the face, Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe’s life flashes before his eyes (or rather, eye); his host for this journey is his own personal Mephistopheles, the character about whom he never got to write: the insane Roman emperor, Caligula.
Available for purchase: New Play Exchange (e-copy)
Run-time: 2hr, with 1 intermission
Breakdown: 7 Actors of Any Gender
Available for purchase: New Play Exchange (e-copy)
Run-time: 2hr, with 1 intermission
Breakdown: 7 Actors of Any Gender
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File Size: | 156 kb |
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Production history:
The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots was originally produced by The Gallery Players in association with Engine37 in June 2008 at The Gallery Players and Manhattan Theatre Source, with the following cast and credits:
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE: Nat Cassidy
CALIGULA: David Ian Lee
ANNE MARLOWE/AGRIPPINA: Anna Olivia Moore
WALSINGHAM/JULIUS CAESAR: Andrew Firda
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE/AUGUSTUS CAESAR: Keith J. Foster
DOROTHY MARLOWE/DRUSILLA: Lara Agar Stoby
THOMAS KYD/TIBERIUS CAESAR: Alex Herrald
Director: Neal Freeman
Stage Manager: Emily Paige Ballou
Set Design: Hannah Shafran
Costume Design: Ana Marie Salamat
Lighting Design: John Eckert
The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots received its Chicago premiere in February 2014 by First Floor Theatre, with the following cast and credits:
Starring:
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE: Owais Ahmed
CALIGULA: Tim Parker
ANNE/AGRIPPINA: Kate Cornelius-SchecterWAlSINGHAM/JULIUS: Alfred Thomas
SHAKESPEARE/AUGUSTUS: Dav Yendler
DOT/DRUSILLA: Sarah Davis
KYD/TYBERIUS: Garrett Lutz
Director: Gus Menary
Set Design: Molly FitzMaurice
Lighting Design: David Federman
Sound Design: Andrew Rovner
Costumes: Alexis Chaney and Caroline Gelber
Props: TJ Heins
Dramaturg: Emmett Rensin
Production Manager: Markie Gray
Asst. Sound Designer: Graham Carlson
Dialect Coach: Lindsay Bartlett
Stage Combat: Amanda Fink
Stage Manager: Kelly Butler
The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots was originally produced by The Gallery Players in association with Engine37 in June 2008 at The Gallery Players and Manhattan Theatre Source, with the following cast and credits:
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE: Nat Cassidy
CALIGULA: David Ian Lee
ANNE MARLOWE/AGRIPPINA: Anna Olivia Moore
WALSINGHAM/JULIUS CAESAR: Andrew Firda
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE/AUGUSTUS CAESAR: Keith J. Foster
DOROTHY MARLOWE/DRUSILLA: Lara Agar Stoby
THOMAS KYD/TIBERIUS CAESAR: Alex Herrald
Director: Neal Freeman
Stage Manager: Emily Paige Ballou
Set Design: Hannah Shafran
Costume Design: Ana Marie Salamat
Lighting Design: John Eckert
The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots received its Chicago premiere in February 2014 by First Floor Theatre, with the following cast and credits:
Starring:
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE: Owais Ahmed
CALIGULA: Tim Parker
ANNE/AGRIPPINA: Kate Cornelius-SchecterWAlSINGHAM/JULIUS: Alfred Thomas
SHAKESPEARE/AUGUSTUS: Dav Yendler
DOT/DRUSILLA: Sarah Davis
KYD/TYBERIUS: Garrett Lutz
Director: Gus Menary
Set Design: Molly FitzMaurice
Lighting Design: David Federman
Sound Design: Andrew Rovner
Costumes: Alexis Chaney and Caroline Gelber
Props: TJ Heins
Dramaturg: Emmett Rensin
Production Manager: Markie Gray
Asst. Sound Designer: Graham Carlson
Dialect Coach: Lindsay Bartlett
Stage Combat: Amanda Fink
Stage Manager: Kelly Butler
Press and awards:
Winner, New York Innovative Theatre Award, Outstanding Full-Length Script, 2009
Nominee, Outstanding Production and Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role
"Caligula is a fab character, and an irresistible one ... He gets to recount anecdote after anecdote of Caligula's astonishing, depraved, mythic existence ... But fun in its way as this all is, the heart of Cassidy's play—and the best parts of it—have nothing to do with the Roman emperor. Marlowe is the play's protagonist, after all, and it is what he learns from his experiences ... that really fuel this Reckoning. What I liked best about the play is the way that Cassidy contemporizes Marlowe's existence without in any way diminishing it. ... Cassidy nails what's universal about a character like Marlowe ... One thing's certain: there's talent aplenty on display here. Cassidy is clearly a young theatre artist to watch."
—Martin Denton, nytheatre.com
"An incredibly fun show about the death and legacy of Christopher Marlowe (sort of) and his failed attempt to write a play about Caligula ... The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots is a very inventive and funny play that gives Marlowe the Charlie Kaufman treatment."
—James Comtois, Jamespeak, #6 in his "Top 10 of 2008"
"Brilliant, irreverent, original - and very, very different from what the phrase "a play on Marlowe" tends to make us imagine. ... And there are issues of identity, of art, of humanity, of power - all served with plenty of effective dialogue and black humor. You laugh, you're surprised, you reflect ... [A] great discovery!"
- Chiara Prezzavento, Senza Errori di Stumpa (in Italian)
"A great comedy!"
- Chicago Magazine
"A winter season must see ... THE RECKONING OF KIT & LITTLE BOOTS laces together bawdy humor and historical speculation with charming measure ... Cassidy combines the most dramatic and accurate suppositions of [Marlowe's] history. Using sharp humor and adventurous thinking, Cassidy’s story ultimately pays homage to Marlowe’s tremendous talent. ... The skill on display is beyond commendable and consistent in its entertainment factor. ... [A] manically funny delight ... full of passionate questioning ... It is no surprise that First Floor Theater was recently chosen as one of 2013’s top companies. Their current production of THE RECKONING OF KIT & LITTLE BOOTS is a golden affair."
- Brian Kirst, Sights and Sounds Magazine
"RECOMMENDED. The 'Kit' in Nat Cassidy’s play is Christopher Marlowe, here haunted by the emperor Caligula, whose moniker (who knew?) means 'Little Boots.' In sharp comic exchanges punctuated by violence, these two characters (and other Caesars and Elizabethan playwrights) explore the use and abuse of power, the necessary but despised role of the spy, and the challenge of writing simultaneously for one’s own time and for the ages. Director Gus Menary brings out the best in all the performers, but Owais Ahmed as Kit, Tim Parker as Caligula and Alfred Thomas as spymaster Francis Walsingham have particular depth and breadth. A production both intellectual and visceral, whereas so often we have to choose one or the other."
- Dueling Critics
"Caligula is a spicy character, filled with sarcasm and bombastic energy, yet still manages to draw sympathy from the audience ... Cassidy [does] a great job of telling the tale of a lesser-known figure in history. There’s a perfect balance between truth and irony: Known events about Marlowe’s life struggle to be remembered, riddled with inappropriate modern-day humor and outlandish responses from the supporting cast — let’s just say the sexual tension is aplenty. ... Overall, Cassidy’s take on Marlowe’s life is pleasantly refreshing. His characters are all filled with spunk, and it is a great take on an often forgotten Elizabethan playwright. The struggles of power, religion and murder are always welcomed in tragic productions, and Cassidy managed to balance them all in a slightly perfect drama. ... Cassidy [brings] together everything audiences could want in a play. ... Stepping out of a cramped, crowded, black box theater after witnessing all the tragedy, comedy and witty skepticism of Christopher Marlowe‘s life just felt so wrong. A performance packed with actors and a script both acted and written at such a high caliber deserves way more than a couple seats set up around minimal stage space. "
- Kristen Torres, Loyola Phoenix
"The acting, staging, the glimpses of humor and the sheer likeability of Marlowe, Caligula and several of the other characters make it easy to get lost in their Elizabethan world. ... Skirts the edge of Monty Python spoof and meaty drama ... This is a great pick for any anglophile, history buff, or lover of historical fiction. TROK&LB manages to be fun and serious, lighthearted and full of gravitas. Wonderful performances and a sharp script with a modern edge keep everyone on their toes."
- Beth Dugan, EDGE
And be sure to check out Nat's other plays:
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