Inspired by films such as “The Italian Job,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Snatch,” “The Usual Suspects” and “The Sting,” Canadian playwright Arun Lakra’s thriller “Heist” explores the meticulous planning that goes into jewel theft.
The show will make its U.S. premiere with a production by the Arizona Theatre Company production, which will run through Saturday, Dec. 20, in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art and Saturday, Jan. 10, to Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Tempe Center for the Arts.
Lakra, an ophthalmologist and screenwriter, is also known for his award-winning play “Sequence.”
“Heist” is a fast-paced show filled with disguises, double crossing and daring escapes. It plays with the concepts of time, memory and perception, making it a cross between “Inception” and “Ocean’s Eleven.” It also blurs the lines between who is playing the game and who is being deceived.
The team of thieves includes Matthew Floyd Miller as Marvin, Brandon Ruiter as Ryan, Jessica Fishenfeld as Angie, Jynx Zavala as Fiona, Ethan Henry as Kruger and Valerie Perri as The Spider.
The production is being directed by Matt August, the company’s Kasser Family Artistic Director.
The theater, opera and film director has worked on shows in different parts of the world, including Broadway productions of “The Invention of Love,” “The Full Monty,” “Henry IV,” “Imaginary Friends,” and “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas-The Musical.”
He also done Shakespeare and operatic production such as “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “La Bohéme” and “The Pirates of Penzance.”
August selected “Heist” to be part of this season’s lineup.
“I thought it was a thrilling new voice and a new kind of play that doesn’t normally get seen. This is a very unique play. I really haven’t seen a play that is like this one, in terms of its cinematic plot… Certainly the pace at which this play goes is a lot of fun,” August said.
August thought the play would be a good fit for him as a director.
“This play is right in my wheelhouse, in terms of a marriage between all of the things that it does technically and that it requires in the production value to really pull off. It has some very lovable characters, a great plot and great story,” August said.
August hopes that this show will bring in new audiences, including those who don’t typically go to theater.
“It will absolutely delight the theater lovers, but it will also introduce people who may not know what the theater is or what the theater does in a really sophisticated way,” August added.
August said although he has directed technically-complex shows in the past, this play has challenged him and the creative team in new ways.
“In terms of a show of this scale, that needs to be this technically complex, this definitely pushes us and me in certain capacities. In others, it’s an extension of stuff that we’ve done before. When you get a show that is this technically-complex, you just surround yourself with the best people,” August said.
The creative team includes scenic designer James Noone, costume designer Kish Finnegan, lighting designer Mike Billings, sound designer Daniel Perelstein Jaquette and projection designer Sven Ortel. Many of these designers have worked on Broadway or on the West End.
During early rehearsals, the playwright joined the cast and crew, offering insight and collaborating with them, especially on updates.
“We are continuing to develop the script, rewrite, finesse and hone the script in. It’s very exciting that this script is evolving with these actors and this production,” August said. “As a director, I always like solving problems rather than restaging other people’s solutions to those problems.”
The play is very physically-taxing for the actors, as they have to do a lot of maneuvering. August said for this reason, they had an unconventional audition process.
“When I auditioned one of the roles, we had to go to a climbing gym with crash pads and masks so that we could get a sense of who could pull off some of the stunts in the show,” August said.
August said the show also has a gaming feel to it.
August and Jaquette spend time during rehearsals scoring the show. August likens directing this show to editing a film.
The show takes place in New York City, and the team is made up of men and women of different backgrounds.
The characters are all distinctive and bring something unique to this team.
“These characters are so much fun, and they’re so interesting. The audience isn’t going to have any trouble whatsoever connecting with them. They’re going to be absolutely delighted by the characters. The actors who we’ve cast in these roles are all so vivid. It really does feel like you’re watching a team of superheroes where each character has their own special thing that they do,” August said.
ATC works with full-time, unionized actors from different parts of the country.
For this show, most of the cast is coming from Los Angeles.
August said they were very deliberate during the audition process.
“We were looking for very specific things for each role. One character needed to be the muscle, and another character needed to be really smart, the scientist. The other one needed to be a physical acrobat. One needs to be persuasive and charismatic, and one needs to be a technical wizard,” August said.
Miller, who acts as the leader of the team and narrator in the show, is a film and stage actor who has appeared onscreen in “Welcome to Chippendales,” “American Crime Story,” “Law & Order,” “Barry” and “Criminal Minds.”
Based out of Los Angeles, the actor has also been in the Broadway shows “The Cottage,” “Not about Nightingales” and “The Invention of Love.”
Miller has only appeared in one other ATC show, “Enchanted April” back in 2008.
Miller and August previously worked together in “The Invention of Love.”
Miller said with “Heist,” he gets to play a type of character that has never portrayed before in the past.
“I’m this scrappy Irish jewel thief. I’ve played a lot of uptight British guys in my time. The last time I was here at Arizona Theatre Company, that’s what I played, a very upper-crust, posh British guy. This time, I’m an Irish guy from Dublin,” Miller said.
All of the characters are hiding secrets, which causes conflict between them.
“These thieves are savvy and don’t trust each other, as they shouldn’t at times. Other times, they should… This is what I think is charming about the play. They all do have noble intentions. They all see themselves as a band of Robin Hood and his Merry Men,” Miller said.
Miller said not only is the show complicated technically, but it jumps back and forth in time. During the rehearsal process, he had to visualize how everything fit together.
“It’s like learning jazz. It’s learning the notes of the song and the improvisation of the song at the same time,” Miller said.
Miller is onstage for most of the show, except for three minutes. He had to memorize more than 100 pages of text.
“I’m the narrator of the story while simultaneously living the story. I have a bird’s eye view of the whole trajectory of what happens and has happened, and I know all the secrets,” Miller said.
Miller and other actors tasked with handling different gadgets and gizmos.
They started working with props during rehearsals.
Miller’s drama teacher in high school always emphasized the importance of knowing where props are, a lesson he has taken to heart.
“It’s vitally important, particularly with a play that jumps around and where you do certain costume changes. I won’t use that prop until act two, scene three, but it would be helpful if I had it in my right pocket the whole show so I don’t have to think about it. I can reach down, and it’s always there. I need to know that the assistant stage manager is going to be backstage, stage left, when I make that exit. They will hand me that particular piece so I can smoothly make my entrance. It is a bit of a dance,” Miller said.
Miller said the show’s cinematic nature and influences, as well as contemporary references, make it appealing to people of different ages.
“I think that this is one that will have people going, ‘This is really cool. I can relate to this. It’s not boring. I want to figure it out.’ Consequently, it’ll have them going, ‘Now that I know what really happened, I have to go back and see it again to see what I missed, that little clue, that Easter egg that got dropped there,”’ Miller said.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Production of “Heist”
WHEN: Through Saturday, Dec. 20
WHERE: Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Avenue, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $33
INFO: atc.org/show/heist