Bad news this afternoon from Kurt Kleinmann, whose Pegasus Theatre has been coloring its stage productions a distinctly retro shade of gray since 1986: There will be no new "In Living Black and White" production next month at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, where, last December, Kleinmann opened his Full Moon Murders! The reason for the no-show? You guessed it. "The state of the economy seems to be affecting almost everyone, and we're no exception," he writes. "In addition to our own personal disappointment, we realize this will no doubt be a letdown to our loyal fan base. I promise you, it was not an easy decision to make."
But, he adds, there is some potentially promising news mixed in with the bad, as Pegasus is "in negotiations with an experienced tour producer" to take the "Black & White" shows on the road to "medium-sized Texas towns." The tour would start in Dallas, then travel to smaller cities "that don't have as many live theatre options as Dallas has," Kleinmann says -- "and best of all, the venues we will perform in are renovated vaudeville and old movie theaters across the state, a perfect setting for the 'Black & White' shows which are designed to look like old movies come to life on stage." How decidedly retro, just like a Great Depression. --Robert Wilonsky