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 The Great Gorgonzola & His New Assistant,
a play-with-magic, has had some face-lifts since it debuted in 2001. In its original incarnation, the two-act play was a 60's-style Absurdist farce. In a second production, it became a black comedy about a magician with a deep, dark secret. Finally, in its third production, the story evolved into a melodrama, dark secret intact. The magician, The Great Gorgonzola, was an embittered old-timer making one last stand in a third-rate theatre, and with a past coming back to haunt him. All of that is gone.
Some things have remained constant. The play, a period piece, is set in a theatre in New York City on July 4th, 1927. Gorgonzola's act, most of whose 40 or so magic tricks are based on eggs, has references to opera and other glories of an Italy gone by. The miserly magician has hired a new assistant, an always-hungry shoeshine boy, to save money, instead of an experienced performer. Unfortunately for Gorgonzola, the assistant keeps messing up the stage act and trying to grab the spotlight.
Donato Colucci, founder in 1971 of Boston's Publick Theatre, wrote the piece and plays Gorgonzola. He also wrote The Encyclopedia of Egg Magic, a result of his research. He wanted to give Gorgonzola an unusual specialty. The book was an across-the-board hit with magic-magazine book reviewers and has taken a respected place on the well-read magician's shelf.
After a year in dry dock, Colucci came to believe that the magic in the play would be better served with an upbeat story line. So it was, in a way, back to the original conception. When we next see Gorgonzola, either on stage or DVD, it will be a mix of comedy and farce. And get set for some great new tricks with eggs!
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