‘The Man Who Would Be on Radio’

     
My compliments to Mt. Zion Masonic Lodge in New Jersey for hosting a novel event later this month: a “radio play” based on Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King. From the publicity:

The Man Who Would Be King—A Staged Radio Play and Immersive Masonic Experience (with themed snacks and drinks) will be presented by Raconteur Radio and Mt. Zion Lodge No. 135 of Free and Accepted Masons.

Tickets cost only $15 per person. Click here.

Based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic yarn, this rousing radio play tells the tall and timeless tale of two rogue soldiers and Freemasons who set off from 19th century British India in search of adventure, and end up as Kings of Kafiristan. It is a time of mission and mystery, of forbidden lands, and of wealth often described as untold. Royal soldiers-cum-con men, Danny and Peachy, climb mountains and cross glaciers to penetrate the forbidden territories where, through luck, battle, and a series of Masonic coincidences, they realize their wildest dreams.

Featuring Jeff Maschi as Brother Daniel Dravot, Carlyle Owens as Brother Peachy Carnehan, and Laurence Mintz as Rudyard Kipling and Billy Fish.

With theatrical lighting, vintage commercials, Golden Age radio equipment, special fog effects, and, of course, hundreds of sound effects.

Plus jazz vocalist Danielle Illario singing Kipling’s “Road to Manderlay.”

Also a special introduction by Lee Pfeiffer, editor of Cinema Retro, a British magazine devoted to the films of the 1960s and ’70s. Pfeffer, a renowned “James Bond scholar,” is the author of The Films of Sean Connery.” (Connery plays Dravot in the film version of the story.)

The event will be held in Metuchen’s own Masonic lodge, with only one showing, at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 18. Ticket includes a tour of the lodge and Masonic artifacts, snacks, and drinks, (provided by the Borough Improvement League), and the play.

Raconteur Radio stages theatrical presentations of vintage radio plays, classic works of literature, and pop culture parodies for live audiences throughout the tri-state area. For more info, click here.