Hellvis (Or: The All-New No Exit, Now With Elvis) portrays Elvis in Hell, circa 1977. In a comedy along the lines of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, Elvis is banished to an eternity of soul searching with a Studio 54 disco queen and a Gloria Steinham-esque lesbian.
In 1940 Jean-Paul Sartre’ was imprisoned by the Nazi party. NO EXIT, his existential portrayal of Hell, was the first play performed in Paris following its liberation. HELLVIS is a comic adaptation based on Sartre’s Hell. The character of Big E, is a fictional interpretation of a modern pop icon and by no means a factual account of his life.
The world premiere HELLVIS will be presented in association with Screaming Frog Productions and the Raven Playhouse in North Hollywood, May 18th – June 9th, 2002.
HELLVIS is directed by David Summers (So, I Killed A Few People) and written by Michael Pulliam (Radio Is Dead). The cast features Jonathan Browning (Tippi: Portrait of a Teenage Virgin, Co-Ed Prison Sluts, Comedy Sportz), Jenna Lecce (Chicago: The Musical, Speed-the-Plow, Play it Again, Sam), Leslie McManus (What Every Girl Should Know: An Ode to Judy Blum, Manson: The Musical, Comedy Sportz) and John Shaffer (Excuse Me, What Every Girl Should Know: An Ode to Judy Blum).
Due to intense subject matter, this production is not recommended for young children.