Min Kahng Discusses Adapting Bad Kitty for the Stage

Playwright Min Kahng. Photo by Ben Krantz.

By Vivian Auslander

He created BACT’s award-winning musical version of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and our hit Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical. Now, the multi-talented Min Kahng is writing the script and the musical score for our upcoming world premiere of Bad Kitty on Stage! Below, he discusses what inspired him about Nick Bruel ‘s popular Bad Kitty comic series and how he is adapting the series for young audiences.

Q:  How did Bad Kitty on Stage! come to be?

A:  Our Executive Director Nina Meehan proposed the project—her sons were reading the series and loving it.  When I read the books, the first thing that jumped out at me was their unique style—a combination of comic books and chapter books—and I thought it would be fun and interesting to put that style onstage.  But I needed to feel an emotional resonance as well, and two of the books grabbed me right away—Bad Kitty Meets the Baby, which explores how Kitty reacts to the new addition to her family, and Bad Kitty School Daze, which struck me because the amazingly patient teacher tells Kitty at the end of the day that she doesn’t think she’s a bad kitty at all. I can imagine children needing reinforcement like that and how it would help them grow.  In fact, all the animal characters in the series are childlike, with their unique quirks and eccentricities, and they are all working on growing up.  For me, the stories are about what it’s like to grow up and learn important lessons, and I’ve kept that in mind along with the humor and the quirkiness to help make the story line cohesive and authentic.

Q: In the series, Kitty doesn’t use words.  How do you make that work on stage?

Actor Sango Tajima as Bad Kitty. Photo by Melissa Nigro.

A: We debated that a lot at the beginning, wondering if we should have Kitty speak.  But we wanted to be faithful to the universe of the books.  So the challenge was what that meant—how do you translate the images in the books to a human actor?  Casting was the key, and we are extremely fortunate to have Sango Tajima, a gifted physical actor whose face can tell you what Kitty is feeling in a cartoon manner that is also genuine!  It was clear to us from the first reading of the play, just from Sango’s face and movements, that she could tell the story.  And, in the script, while I write “meow” or other animal sounds, I also include parenthetical statements of what I want the sounds to mean to guide the actors as to what their intention should be.

Q:  What were your goals for the music that underscores the action of the play?

A:  When I started thinking about the style of the music, I recalled the Saturday morning cartoons I’d watched as a child—like Looney Tunes, where the background music plays such a big role in setting the mood and creating the sound effects.  I wanted to incorporate that sensibility into the play. Then, we workshopped the play, and realized that the music had to be performed live to provide vibrant energy and to choreograph precisely with what’s happening on stage.  We were very lucky to find Phil Wong, who is both an actor and a pianist.  Phil will be our narrator, and he’ll play the score and improvise as needed. I’m very excited to be collaborating with him.  He’ll take what I compose and give us his feedback about how it’s working with the characters and the scenes.

Q:  The Bay Area Children’s Theatre has co-commissioned Bad Kitty On Stage! with the Oregon Children’s Theatre.  What does that mean?

A:  Both companies are producing this show for the first time—our run begins in January, theirs in February.  And it’s been a fascinating experience for me, because I have to make sure the script and the music work for both productions.  For example, the sets for our BACT shows have to be compact and moveable, since we perform in three different locations.  Oregon has a big traditional proscenium stage. When we send Kitty up into a “tree,” we are working with the idea of a tree.  Their production includes something much more like a real tree, so they’ll need enough transition music for Kitty to get into and out of the tree.  My challenge is to make the score and the script elastic enough to meet different needs.

Director Benjamin Hanna at our first read-thru with the Bad Kitty cast.

Q:  Now that the show is in rehearsal, what is your role?

A: I’ll be in the rehearsal room to help clear up any questions about the script or how the music fits into the action on stage. I can make changes or re-write as the needs arise. 

Q:  Nick Bruel, the author and illustrator of the Bad Kitty books, will be here for the opening?

A:  Yes. He reached out to us when he was visiting the Bay Area some months ago.  He was pleased and surprised by how faithful our adaptation is to the series, which made me feel good, because I wanted to capture the spirit of the books.  He will be here for our opening day performances, signing books and joining us for a reception with our donors.

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Bad Kitty On Stage opens at Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in downtown Berkeley on January 23rd. The show runs from January 23-February 21 in Berkeley, February 27-28 in San Ramon, and March 5-26 in San Francisco. Click here to purchase tickets.

Parent's Perspective - A Guest Blog by Cynthia House Nooney

On a rainy Saturday afternoon last month, I escorted my twin nine-year-old boys and one of their friends to Berkeley Rep’s new Osher Theater, where we’d purchased tickets to see Tales of Olympus. Even though December is the busiest month of all and I had a ton of other things to accomplish, I was thrilled to be taking them to this debut musical – not that I let on to that, though; I knew my best bet was to act blasé about it. I’ve learned not to project my hopes and interests onto my children. That will get me absolutely nowhere. My plan was to covertly observe their expressions during the show – just in case, you know – they weren’t willing to say much afterward. They are nine after all – big fourth-graders who aren’t as eager to reveal their innermost thoughts and preferences like they once were. 
             Have I mentioned that my boys are highly energetic and active? They’re not exactly inclined to sit quietly for short periods, let alone what they might perceive to be lengthy, so once we were seated (very nicely by a staff member, I might add, who didn’t appear peeved in the least that we were five minutes late), I exhaled and crossed my fingers until intermission, when not one of my charges asked to leave. I smiled inside and gave myself a mental high five. In the corridor, where the boys munched on cookies, I pretended not to overhear their conversations. “Who do you like best in the play?” one of them asked. “Hermes is my favorite,” answered one. “Jason is mine,” said another. “But I like Zeus too.”

The three of them huddled in a corner together, one rapping the way Hermes had done earlier on stage, the other two singing Don’t Swallow The Babies, a rollicking fun song that Zeus had just performed.

Did the playwright have my boys in mind when he wrote Tales of Olympus? All three of my small attendees were captivated from the beginning, following the action with huge, engaged eyes. They laughed and cheered right along with Jason (a “bard” in training), and related to his reluctance, never catching on to the fact that they were learning about Greek mythology at the same time.

The Olympus cast tells the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece.

“I wish I could fly!” one of my twins exclaimed after the play ended. “I wish I could go to Mount Olympus!” said his brother. Their friend, typically more reserved than my boys, declared his desire to go back in time, like Jason had. Collectively, they discussed their delight with the way Jason told the Golden Fleece story. “But the Icarus story was so cool, too! And Zeus’s!”

When cast members greeted them immediately after the show and autographed complimentary posters, the boys held back smiles and did their best to act nonchalant – but once inside our car, they compared signatures and commented on Aphrodite’s beauty and Athena’s funny sarcasm.

Although I tried not to ask questions on the way home, I couldn’t resist at least one: “What was your favorite part?” My oldest twin answered quickly. “That’s hard to say, Mom, it was all so good! Very adventurous and exciting. I’m going to tell everyone in my class to go!”

It wasn’t until the next day that I discovered the actor who played Hermes is also the writer of the musical. When I shared this fact with my sons, their eyes became as huge as they were during the show. “Are you serious? How did he do that?!”

I wasn’t sure how to answer adequately enough (although plenty of thoughts came to mind: Min Kahng clearly has a great imagination, he’s supremely talented, and hardworking), but instead, we all just shook our heads in deep admiration and decided where to hang up their posters.
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Cynthia House Nooney has recently joined the board of Bay Area Children's Theatre. 

BACT Blogger Genevieve Interviews Min Kahng

Our special guest blogger Genevieve is back! Genevieve is now ten years old and in the fourth grade at Kensington Hilltop School. She attended her first live theater performance at three years old. Genevieve also enjoys acting, particularly in musicals, playing the piano, writing, reading, traveling, and playing sports with her friends. She lives in Kensington with her parents and two younger siblings.
If you are age 9 and up and want to write a blog about your experience with BACT, email nina@bactheatre.org.

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My Interview of Min Kahng
By Genevieve, Age 10

I got lucky enough to interview Min Kahng, the playwright of the new and wonderful BACT production, The Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical. I was so excited to hear I could interview him! I really enjoyed the play. I loved all the songs and the funny lines. Min is a great writer and based some of the main ideas on his own childhood life.

The mortal character, Jason, learns an important lesson about trusting himself while he is taught some classic Greek mythology from a few of the more famous Greek Gods. The character of Athena was a know-it-all and she seemed true to my imagination of her behavior. Aphrodite was very graceful and it was funny when the Gods were arguing and she sang her song which made everyone’s thoughts turn to love. Calliope was bossy and caring and Zeus showed his power in many funny ways.

Playwright/composer Min Kahng playing Hermes

The costumes were creative and they used many small props to help the audience understand the stories. Min Kahng probably did not know that nearly all of my fourth grade friends are very into Greek myths when he and Nina, the Executive Director of BACT, got together to think about the theme of their next play. Nina suggested Greek myths and Min liked the idea because of his great elementary school teacher who taught him how exciting Greek myths were by having him and his classmates act out the stories.

After he knew what he was writing about, he needed a deadline. He started in the spring and had the script mostly ready for a workshop in June 2012. A workshop is a time when acting businesses hire actors to read out loud the script to make sure that the lines work and the story makes sense. Then, in between June and October, Min had to revise the script and lyrics to be sure they were ready and perfect to start rehearsing with the real actors.

Min was also hired to be the musical director of the production, so he helped the actors on their solos and harmonies. Also, he would stay around at rehearsals to make sure the lines made sense and did not need to be adjusted. Min did not entirely memorize the lines of the actors, but knew the basic arch of the story. For example, when I saw the play, something happened to Jonathon Brooks, the actor playing Hermes, and Min took his part and did very well.

Min works on short plays and songs in his spare time. Some of his plays are The Song of the Nightingale, Bust, The Plans of Theodore Crumb, and some BACT teen plays, Café Broadway and Beasts of I’m very grateful to Min for spending some time with me so I could do this interesting interview with him! I am also thankful for the great cast who put on the play and made it wonderful!

Writing Olympus - A Guest Blog by Min Kahng

Min Kahng wrote the book, music and lyrics for Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical, playing in Berkeley from December 8th thru 22nd. Min is also an instructor with BACT's Youth Education Program, as well as the Marketing Coordinator for BACT.
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Greek mythology is cool. So cool, in fact, that all I have to do is mention the title of my new show (Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical) and people of all ages respond "Ooh! That sounds cool!" Understandably so. This ancient pantheon of gods and goddesses takes our imaginations on fanciful journeys that could rival the best super-hero/fantasy/science-fiction fare today. The myths also teach us something about our world and our society. And, quite simply, they're fun.

A Greek myth musical? Sounds cool to me.

What was perhaps less obvious or self-evident was how to give Tales of Olympus its form or shape as a show.  I knew I wanted to introduce young audiences to a handful or so of Greek myths - like a "story sampler platter" as one of the characters in Tales says.  But I also wanted to prevent the show from becoming one of those overstated works of "edu-tainment," which ironically serve to lose a kid's attention.  I had to come up with a through-line - a story that tied all of the myths together, so audience members would be thrust into this recounting of Greek myths without feeling like they were in school.

I knew this through-line had to be centered around something that was important to me, something that captured my heart.  So, I looked back to why Greek myths strike a chord with me. I recalled how Mrs. Abelmann, my fifth grade teacher, introduced me to Greek mythology by acting out portions of the famous lore in class, and eventually had us write our own myths. Mine was on the origin of the sunset, and I was quite proud of it. There was something very empowering about being able to create my own story. I was joining the ranks of Homer - or at least following (far, far behind) in his footsteps. I realize that because of Mrs. Abelmann, Greek mythology will always be a part of my own journey as a writer.

This led me to think about the other people or events that have influenced my writing journey.  Encouraging teachers, mentors & professors who affirmed, critiqued, sharpened my writing voice. Hours spent alone, dreaming up stories and scenes on paper, video camera or at a keyboard. I also remembered the doubts and set-backs. The times when I denied my writing ability because I felt like I would never be good enough. Or my hesitation to let others read or hear what I have written, for fear of harsh criticism or ridicule. These fears were especially strong during my middle school years. I remember writing a song for a 7th grade class project. My teacher lauded it and gave me an A+. Then she asked if she could play the recording for the class. I said "No," embarrassed at the thought of drawing attention to myself, and later, full of regret for not having taken the chance.

What had it taken for me to finally declare that I was a writer? When did I finally start thinking "I can do this?" Perhaps, more poignantly, why didn't I just give up and go another route? What made me stay on this path in spite of my own defeatist attitude?

I think the answer has to do with the work of writers that came before. Books, plays, films - anything with a narrative that has inspired me - kept nudging me to find my own footing; Greek myths included.

And then I had it; this would be my through-line. 
Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical would be my little nudge to younger artists and writers.

Zeus & Aphrodite show Jason the wonders of Olympus.

This led to the birth of the character Jason - a talented, twelve-year old storyteller who needs some gods and goddesses to help him see his potential. Meanwhile, the gods and goddesses need Jason's storytelling ability to keep their tales alive. The show is indeed rife with popular Greek myths, as the title promises. But underneath all that is the coming-of-age of a young bard who is influenced by the work of bards who came before him. Tales of Olympus is a story about telling stories.

And I'm pretty sure the ages of human history would agree that stories are pretty cool too.