An Examination of The Inside of His Severed Head

Writer/Director Lenny Schwartz and composer Duncan Pflaster have teamed up for the musical, The Inside of His Severed Head, debuting May 10 at the RISE Playhouse in Woonsocket.

Based on the classic Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman, the story follows the adventures of aging vampire hunter Willy Loman (played by Michael Thurber) who realizes his life is empty and tries to fill it in the last 24 hours of his life. “It’s one of those warm, fuzzy plays,” Schwartz noted.

For Schwartz, working on a musical has been a dream come true. Schwartz has written several offbeat plays, including The Social Avenger, Co-Creator, Accidental Incest and Ben Minus Zoe Minus Ben. “I wanted a challenge, I wanted to go out and freaking do it,” Schwartz explained.

Schwartz is proud of the cast, which includes Victoria Paradis, Ryan McKenna, Derek Laurendeau, Sarah Reed, Lauren Pace, Alexandra Cipolla, Kevin Hernandez, Mya Lemery, Maureen Noel and Ryan Bedisee. “Everyone is insanely talented,” Schwartz said. “I have so much respect for people who can act and sing. Every night I come in (to rehearsals) so enthusiastic. It’s almost like I have a new lease on life. You should be constantly learning and challenging yourself.”

Schwartz is excited about reuniting with Thurber, who has appeared in Schwartz’s previous productions. “I have to say this performance (Thurber) is giving is the best of anything he has ever done,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz promises The Inside of His Severed Head will offer something for everyone. “People want to try something new that they haven’t seen before,” Schwartz said. “If you don’t know Death of a Salesman, you’re going to love it. For those who have (seen it), I think they’ll be enthusiastic about what the twists are we took on this classic material.”

The Inside of His Severed Head runs May 10-19. The RISE Playhouse, 142 Clinton St, Woonsocket. All shows are at 8pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door or at Smarttix.com by following this link:
smarttix.com/Modules/Sales/SalesMainTabsPage.aspx?SalesEventId=7442