LANCASTER, Pa. — The Fulton Theatre makes Lancaster history once more in its newest mainstage production featuring what they call a romantic comedy.
Fresh off a successful run on London's West End after the show was workshopped at the Fulton in 2017, "It Happened in Key West" makes its American premiere in the Red Rose City.
Based on a true story where a radiologist digs up his lover's grave and lives with her corpse, making the show a romantic comedy took some work, according to its lead actor.
Years ago, as developers were mounting the West End version of the project, Travis Kent, who portrays Carl, the radiologist tech in the show, had just signed with his manager, who was a lead producer on the project. Upon hearing the elevator pitch for the show, Kent said he had his own interesting views of the show.
"I thought I made a huge mistake signing with him," Kent laughed. "I thought 'Is he insane? This show sounds crazy.'"
Fast forward years later, Kent has a much different view of the production.
"It made perfect sense why he fell in love with it in the first place," Kent said. "This show is everything."
Part slapstick comedy and sweeping timeless romance, according to cast members, the musical first features the love story of Carl and Elena both before and after her diagnosis with tuberculosis. The disease was seen as a death sentence back in the early 1930s when this true story took place.
In real life, Carl lived with Elena's remains for years before being caught.
"Our interpretation leans into the love story, the heart of what motivates people to do what they do," Kent said. "It doesn't really seem that crazy in the end."
Shereen Pimentel, fresh off her Broadway run in the revival of "West Side Story," now stars as Elena.
"We see what he does to kind of protect her body, protect her and see if he can bring her back to life," Pimentel said. "It really focuses on the love story and how we, as people, deal with our loved one's passing."
Even more than the story, Pimentel and Kent reflect on the excitement of presenting an experience to audience members that they've never had before and can't get anywhere else in the country.
"It's exciting to be able to bring a new piece to this wonderful theatre," Pimentel said. "I want them to expect to laugh and expect to fall in love."
"It's about people taking the risk to see it," Kent said. "Engage with something new, something different, something they don't know what it is or how they're doing to feel when they're walking in the door."
Performances of "It Happened in Key West" continue at the Fulton Theatre through February 11. For more information, visit the theatre's website.