Pudding Chooses Script

What do you get when you take the intrigue of a World War II backdrop and add food, spies, guns, sex, and plenty of men in tight skirts?

"You get our version of 'Casablanca' meets 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,'" said David J. Eilenberg '97, whose musical-comedy, "Morocco Round the Clock" was chosen as the script for the 148th annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals production.

Eilenberg's script, which he wrote along with Jeremy D. Fiebert '97, outlasted the other three student-written submissions through extensive screening process which began in May. The final selection was announced Friday.

For Eilenberg and Fiebert the selection means a the rare opportunity to have their script featured in nearly 50 shows before more than 10,000 people.

In addition to a month-long run at Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theater beginning in late February, the production of the play, budgeted in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, includes Spring Break performances in Bermuda and New York City.

Building upon the Pudding tradition of puns and word play, the cast of characters features "Ellie Gull," "Marquesa Dilla," and "Sheik Ir-Bouti," as well as songs such as "Rabat Stew."

The students who wrote the script as well as those involved in its production all said yesterday that, in keeping with longstanding Pudding tradition, they could not disclose the upcoming show's plot.

They did say that this year's spectacle will consist of seven male and seven female roles. All of the parts, however, will be played by males, as is standard in Pudding shows.

While Eilenberg focused on the script itself, Fiebert wrote the lyrics to most of the songs.

Fiebert says he found himself "intrigued with the possibility of how cool bad guys can be," while Eilenberg wanted to utilize the desert and bar-room settings to "get people to laugh in new, unexpected ways."

Tony Parise, a professional New York director, will supervise the Pudding's production. Other professionals to be included among this year's staff are a choreographer, set designer and musical arranger. About 50 undergraduates will serve as actors and crew members for the show.

"The challenge was to take a 70-page script and make it 99.5 percent funny, with virtually no filler material," said Eilenberg. "I think we came pretty damn close."

According to cast Vice President Andrew A. Burlinson '97, who also served on the six-member selection committee, the script meets the Pudding's standard.

"The setting and mood was so exciting that you could see and feel it as you read the script," said Burlinson. "The characters were unique and just seemed to come alive."

Eilenberg and Fiebert said they both worked on the script this summer, even though they pursued full-time jobs in different cities.

Being chosen for the Hasty Pudding honor is considered a stepping-stone to writing for the professional stage, Burlinson said.

"The production is really incredible. Tom Hanks was there last year; the press will be there; and 10,000 people will see their work," said Burlinson. "It has got to be quite a feeling to hear people laughing for a month about something you wrote.

Tony Parise, a professional New York director, will supervise the Pudding's production. Other professionals to be included among this year's staff are a choreographer, set designer and musical arranger. About 50 undergraduates will serve as actors and crew members for the show.

"The challenge was to take a 70-page script and make it 99.5 percent funny, with virtually no filler material," said Eilenberg. "I think we came pretty damn close."

According to cast Vice President Andrew A. Burlinson '97, who also served on the six-member selection committee, the script meets the Pudding's standard.

"The setting and mood was so exciting that you could see and feel it as you read the script," said Burlinson. "The characters were unique and just seemed to come alive."

Eilenberg and Fiebert said they both worked on the script this summer, even though they pursued full-time jobs in different cities.

Being chosen for the Hasty Pudding honor is considered a stepping-stone to writing for the professional stage, Burlinson said.

"The production is really incredible. Tom Hanks was there last year; the press will be there; and 10,000 people will see their work," said Burlinson. "It has got to be quite a feeling to hear people laughing for a month about something you wrote.