10m., 17w. Comedy-satire. The straight-faced Maxwell Smart is off on a bizarre new case in which he must stop the sinister organization known as KAOS from their most shameful plot. Their plan this time is to prove their power by blowing up the Statue of Liberty! This is too much, and Smart springs into action. Magnificently assisted by beautiful Agent 99, Smart proceeds from one gigantic blunder to another—each, however, somehow turning into a master stroke. A spoof of all secret agent thrillers, it's filled with easy-to-stage visual surprises. Area staging.
A stage adaptation of the old TV show, this spoof relies on pretty clean humor, making it a family-friendly show that parodies the spy genre through the bumbling antics of Maxwell Smart and the other agents of CONTROL.
This is a show that I'm considering directing at the High School, and rather fond of. The only problematic element, so to speak, involves the 3 "Chinese waitresses" who seem written in a fashion that hits on old stereotyping of the time period (and also the spy genre, honestly).
10m, 17w. Too silly for a full production; too much tech for a readers theater, although it could be done. Lots of ethnic cliches -- Nordic blonde princess, 3 Chinese girls all named Wong and a gorgeous Russian professor. Requires dark stage for some Act II action.
This is a stage adaptation based on the series created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and was the show I was supposed to be in. For those not familiar with the television series, the story lines revolve around secret agent Maxwell Smart, who tends to be more lucky than smart. Smart and Agent 99 work for Control, which always has to attempt to thwart the evil of KAOS. Those familiar with the series will see a lot of the classic lines and moments in this stage adaptation, and the script does an excellent job capturing the spirit of this hilarious series.