Properties Design by Laura Merrill

City Lights Theater Company (San José, CA) July 2025

Songs by The Go-Go’s

Conceived and original book by Jeff Whitty

Adapted by James Magruder

Directed by Jeffrey Bracco

This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the infectious music of the ’80s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, featuring such hit songs as “Vacation” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.” In a tale inspired by the Elizabethan romance The Arcadia, the royal family definitely has the beat. Then a seductive, snakelike oracle named Pythio tells them that their kingdom of Arcadia is in danger — if four mysterious prophecies come true. Through a wild adventure of mistaken identities and forbidden romance, the family learns that the key to their realm’s survival lies in their own hearts. A rollercoaster ride of fun, pride, and love in all its forms.

For City Light’s big season ending musical every department was working hard to bring this charming and whimsical story to life. I made over a dozen custom props featuring my grandest creation for this show the giant snake Pythio sends to Arcadia to summon the king. From a loin decapitation to a campy song of self-discovery highlighted with giant dancing mirror frames City Lights really let me go all out.

Some notable pieces created for this production include:

• Giant messenger snake

  This big guy was my first try and large-scale 3D printing. Made from 16 pieces of epoxied together 3D print slices this character took about 3 weeks to glue, sand, paint, and sew. The head was 2’ 6” x 1’ 6” and the body was 10’ in length.

• Pythio Staff

  The staff was an amalgamation of several prints fused together. I found a clear orb print and housed it in an epoxy clay cage to look magical and authoritative. I then found 2 snake bodies I liked and placed them around the orb to give it a uterine quality. I used a bottle cork light (typically used to make old bottles into night lights) to light the orb.

• Lion head and Toy sword

  This scene was supposed to be very silly and childish with Musidorus’ sword to look like a child’s toy very oversized and colorful. For the lion I found a cardboard pattern online and painted it yellow and brow to fit the “child’s toy” theme the director was looking for.

• Scroll given to the kingdom by Pythio

  I wanted this scroll to seem as large and foreboding as the snake and the message itself. I roughed up and pained some heavy canvas for the body and stapled it to the silver pained dowels for the handles.

• Prop “Rippy” pillow

  Pamela freaks out and destroys their campsite at one point ripping a pillow open and throwing the contents everywhere. I achieved this by cutting a pink bolster pillow in half and affixing Velcro to both sides so it could be filled up and ripped open every night.

• 4 Large Mirror Frames

  4’ x 3’ 6” Mirror frames made with milled wooden molding, a painted acrylic base, and silver or gold highlights.

• Various 3D printed cups and goblets

  I printed and painted several plastic teacups, and goblets all painted to look realistic and designed for the character using it.