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A look at the highs and lows of adaptations, plus interviewswith Chuck Wilts from UNA Productions and Oskar Eustis from New York’s Public Theatre

In this week’s episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hostsAlex Miller and Toni Tresca run down what’s on stage around the state now and coming up in the next few weeks. Our main topic this week is adaptations — screen to stage or stage to screen. After seeing the production of Back to the Future: The Musical at the Denver Center recently, we were inspired tolook back on adapations that worked and some … not so much.

Later in the episode, Alex has two separate interviewsrelated to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Cabaret Club series. The first is with drag performer and choreographer Chuck Wilts, who will appearat the ENT Center over Valentine’s Day Weekend in a production called Infinity.

The other Cabaret Club production, The Forgotten Arm, is already past, but it was a fascinating conversation with Oskar Eustis. In addition to directing this work in progress, Eustis has been the artistic director at New York’s Public Theater for 20 years, so he goes into some of that fascinating experience.

 And we also review our weekly Top 10 Colorado Headliners —shows coming up we think you might want to check out. Here’s this week’s list:

 Oklahoma!, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, Johnstown, Jan. 23-March 30

Morning After Grace, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, Golden, Jan. 24-March 2

Rainbow Cult Presents: Wizard of Oz, Meow Wolf, Denver, Jan. 28

The Mariposa Collective Presents Momentum, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, Jan. 31-Feb. 2

Casanova, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver, Jan. 31-Feb. 9

The Heart Sellers, ENT Center Colorado Springs, Jan. 30-Feb. 16

We’re Still Here, Empathy Jam at Boulder Dairy Center, Jan. 24-Feb. 9

Gee’s Bend, Aurora Fox, Jan. 31-Feb. 23

Hope and Gravity, BETC, Jan. 23-Feb. 6 at Savoy Denver; Feb 21-23 at Nomad Playhouse in Boulder

Monthly Women’s Open Mic, Junkyard Social, Boulder, Feb. 2

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Recent Shows

06:37 Exploring 'The Reservoir' by Jake Brash

13:43 A Unique Take on 'Jane Eyre'

20:47 Theater Events in Vail and Community Engagement

26:40 Discussion on 'A Case for the Existence of God'

28:37 Main Topic: Adaptations Between Stage and Screen

29:00 Back to the Future: A Musical Disappointment

30:46 The Nature of Adaptations in Theater

33:44 Successful Stage-to-Screen Adaptations

36:06 The Flops: Failed Adaptations

38:28 Screen-to-Stage Adaptations: The Good and the Bad

43:34 Back to the Future: A Deeper Dive

45:02 Lessons from Adaptations: What Works and What Doesn't

56:50 Interview with Chuck Wilt

1:06 Interview with Oskar Eustis