Richard O'Donnell (born June 17, 1956) is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, and

stand-up comic Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

. He has worked and lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he has written and performed for the stage and television. O'Donnell co-wrote the ASCAP award-winning

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

'' One & One'', and

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

's ''Manhattan Showboat''. He founded the

New Age Vaudeville New Age Vaudeville was an American professional theater troupe founded by Richard O'Donnell (playwright), Richard O'Donnell and Amy McKenzie, and was part of the Chicago comedy boom of the 1980s. History Peninsula Players' Comedy Cabaret In New ...

theatre company, the

New Variety The New Variety is an American cabaret created and produced by Thomas Goodman and Richard O'Donnell. It was a fast-paced, ever-changing volley of acts that included jugglers, fire-eaters, stand-up comics, singers, musicians, and sketch comedy tro ...

cabaret, the Black Pearl Cabaret, and St. John's Conservatory Theater. As a stand-up comic, he was the executive producer and host of the Fox, Chicago comedy variety television show '' R. Rated''.

Early life and education

Richard O'Donnell began in the entertainment industry as a professional

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...

. While in Jr. high school, he ran away with the Sells & Gray 3-ring tent

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

at the age of 15, sleeping in the back of a truck that transported their elephants, Bessie and Anna May. O'Donnell was eventually forced to return home to finish school. In 1974, he won a full scholarship to attend the

Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts (''Seize the Day'') , city = Erie , state = Pennsylvania , country = USA , type = Residential Public , established = 1973 , district = , director = Douglas Woods , faculty = , grades ...

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

, where he studied theatre under Broadway actress, dancer, and playwright Dr. Glory Van Scott. In 1975, O'Donnell graduated from Penncrest High School, Media, Pennsylavania. While attending Penncrest, he studied theatre arts and dance under Judy Roman.

Career

New York, New York

''One & One''

In 1978, at age 22, O'Donnell co-authored the book, music, and lyrics for the musical comedy '' One & One'' that played the Carter Theatre, in the Carter Hotel at 250 West 43rd street. It opened

on November 15, 1978, and O'Donnell won three American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

) Awards, shared with Dianne Adams (Vocal Arranger, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder).

''Manhattan Showboat''

In 1979, for

, O'Donnell co-wrote with Scott Bodie
Manhattan Showboat
' produced by Robert Yani, which celebrated over 100 years of American entertainment. It featured musical direction and arrangements by

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-winning conductor Donald Pippin, and John Corry of The New York Times wrote, "Three Cheers! It is slick and attractive, even witty. It has style."

The Double R

In the 1980s, billed as "The Double R"

comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases fo ...

, in collaboration with screenwriter

Richard LaGravenese Richard LaGravenese (; born October 30, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director, known for '' The Fisher King'', ''The Bridges of Madison County'', and ''Behind the Candelabra''. Personal life LaGravenese was born in Brooklyn, New Yo ...

, O'Donnell co-wrote and consecutively performed in several

Off-Off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...

productions including ''Spare Parts'', ''Blood-brothers'', and ''Entrees'' at the 78th Street Theatre Lab, the Lion Theatre, and

West Bank Cafe West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

. The Double R were regular guests on the ''Linda Lichtman Comedy Hour'', WNBC Radio, 30 Rockefeller Plaza. On the college circuit, they opened for

Leon Redbone Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian; August 26, 1949 – May 30, 2019) was a singer-songwriter and musician specializing in jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley classics. Recognized by his hat (often a Panama hat), dark sunglasses, and black tie, Red ...

and further developed their work in

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

clubs such as

Comedy Cellar The Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan where many top New York comedians perform. It is widely considered to be the best comedy club in the United States. It was founded in 1982 by then stand-up comedian, and current television writer/p ...

and

Yuk Yuk's Yuk Yuk's is a national comedy club chain in Canada, founded by former stand-up comedian Mark Breslin and established in 1976 by Breslin and long-time friend Joel Axler. The company is currently run by Breslin and his long-time partner and presi ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. While working with O'Donnell, LaGravenese discovered he had a knack for writing dialogue.

Fish Creek, Wisconsin

''Comedy Cabaret''

In 1983, while living in New York City, O'Donnell was contracted by Tony Award-winning producer

James B. McKenzie James B. McKenzie (born May 1, 1926, Appleton, WI, died Feb 20, 2002) was an American theater producer best known for heading the Westport Country Playhouse, the American Conservatory Theater, and the Peninsula Players. Career A native of App ...

to create an after-show revue to complement evening performances of the

Peninsula Players Peninsula Players is a summer theater located in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Founded in 1935 by Richard and Caroline Fisher, it is known as "America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre." History The Players was founded in 1935 by the bro ...

Fish Creek, Wisconsin Fish Creek is an unincorporated community located in Door County, Wisconsin, United States, within the town of Gibraltar and is located on Highway 42 along Green Bay. History Fish Creek sits on the site of a Menominee and Ojibwa village known a ...

. The ''Comedy Cabaret'', produced by

Amy McKenzie Amy McKenzie (born August 2, 1959) is an American producer, director, and actress. She is one of the founders of the New Age Vaudeville theatre company and the Third Avenue Playhouse. Biography Career McKenzie has worked and lived in Seattle, ...

and O'Donnell returned for a follow-up season in 1985 with O'Donnell's comedy revue, ''Dr. Funny Bones'', presented by

in its own 75-seat theater at the Glidden Lodge resort, Baileys Harbor, WI.

Peninsula Players

While working the ''Comedy Cabaret'', O'Donnell also took to the main stage at

, starring in title roles of

Larry Shue Larry Howard Shue (July 23, 1946 – September 23, 1985) was an American playwright and actor, best known for writing two oft-performed farces, '' The Nerd'' and '' The Foreigner''. Early life Shue was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up ...

's '' The Nerd'' and '' The Foreigner''. Both comedies were given two-week extended runs because of ticket demands. In 1984, for the Peninsula Player's 50th Anniversary, O'Donnell was featured on the cover of the Chicago Tribune Magazine.

''Wish Wisconsin''

In 1998, while living in Chicago, O'Donnell was commissioned to write the book, music, and lyrics for a new musical play entitled ''Wish Wisconsin'', to celebrate the state's 150th birthday. Directed and produced by Amy McKenzie, it opened on January 2, in the Fish Creek Town Hall Auditorium. Songs included "Wish", "So Blessed", and "Oh!, Wisconsin".

Chicago, Illinois

New Age Vaudeville

In 1983, O'Donnell co-founded (with

) the professional

Actor's Equity The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

theater company

(1984–1987). Throughout its run, O'Donnell produced, wrote, composed,

choreographed Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, and acted in numerous productions with actors Amy McKenzie, Bobby McGuire, Caroline Schless, Del Close, Lisa Keefe,

Megan Cavanagh Megan Cavanagh (born November 8, 1960) is an American actress, who is best known for portraying Marla Hooch in ''A League of Their Own'' and the voice of Judy Neutron in '' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' and ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Ge ...

, Michael Dempsey, Peter Neville, Todd Erickson, and Tom Purcell (executive producer of ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

'').

CrossCurrents

New Age Vaudeville was the first resident theatre company in CrossCurrents history. It was located at 3207 N. Wilton Ave. Noteworthy productions included O'Donnell's musical comedies '' An Evening With Elmore & Gwendolyn Putts, The Neighbors Next Door'' and ''

The TV Dinner Hour ''The TV Dinner Hour'' is an American sketch comedy review written by Richard O’Donnell, directed by Amy McKenzie, and performed by the New Age Vaudeville theater company in Chicago. History Glidden Lodge resort ''The TV Dinner Hour'', has a b ...

'' (the later featured iO, formerly ImrovOlympic, founder

Del Close Del Close (March 9, 1934 – March 4, 1999) was an American actor, writer, and teacher who coached many of the best-known comedians and comic actors of the late twentieth century. In addition to an acting career in television and film, he was ...

as The Rev. Thing of the First Generic Church of What's His Name). Rick Kogan of the ''Chicago Tribune'' hailed both productions as "Among the most polished and clever productions of the season, a pair of devilishly inventive and challenging shows that won over critics and audiences."

Stand-up comedy

As a stand-up comic, billed as R. O'Donnell, he headlined numerous comedy clubs throughout the 1980s and 90s, including Zanies (where his headshot still hangs on the wall), the Chicago Improv, and Catch A Rising Star, an
the Funny Firm
were he was a regular headliner and also featured for such national comics as Brian Regan,

Rick Overton Richard Overton (born August 10, 1954) is an American screenwriter, actor and comedian. His writing credits include ''Dennis Miller Live'', and his acting credits include ''Beverly Hills Cop'', ''Groundhog Day'' and ''Mrs. Doubtfire''. Life and ...

and

Bill Hicks William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—wa ...

''New Variety''

In the 1990s, O'Donnell co-executive produced and hosted the ''

'', which played, among other venues, at the 500-seat Chicago Improv Comedy Club. It ran for over two years, and was responsible for changing a faltering three-ring comedy presentation into a successful variety format. The ''New Variety'', which was hailed by the ''Chicago Tribune'' as "a cabaret for the 90's," was a fast-paced, ever-changing volley of acts that included award-winning

jugglers Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object ...

, fire-eaters, comics, and

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

groups including the all-girl Nude Coffee, the all-gay The Boys in the Bathroom, and the all-improv

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Adam McKay, Ri ...

. Dr. Boom (who literally blew things up on stage) was the highlight of the evening.

Fox TV comedy variety shows

=''Twisted''

= O'Donnell produced and directed comedy segments for the 1993 New Year's Eve special ''Twisted'', which aired on

Fox TV The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

featuring

Matt Besser Matthew Gregory Besser (born September 22, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, and writer, best known as one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy ...

(

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

's ''

''). He also wrote and directed commercials for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

, Jiffy Lube, and

Ameritech AT&T Teleholdings, Inc., formerly known as Ameritech Corporation (and before that American Information Technologies Corporation), is an American telecommunications company that arose out of the 1984 AT&T divestiture. Ameritech was one of the se ...

, starring Besser and

Michelle Garb in a stylistic homage to the works of

Ernie Kovacs Ernest Edward Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was a Hungarian-American comedian, actor, and writer. Kovacs's visually experimental and often spontaneous comedic style influenced numerous television comedy programs for years afte ...

=''R. Rated''

= In 1999, as R. O'Donnell, he executive produced, wrote, and hosted '' R. Rated'', which aired late night on

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. This comedy variety show included short works by the

Annoyance Theatre The Annoyance Theatre, or Annoyance Productions, is a theatre and associated ensemble based in Chicago, Illinois, that deals mainly in absurd and outrageous humor. Many people who have performed with the ensemble have gone on to become successfu ...

featuring

Rachel Dratch Rachel Susan Dratch (born February 22, 1966) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. After she graduated from Dartmouth College she moved to Chicago to study improvisational theatre at The Second City and ImprovOlympic. Her breakthrough ro ...

(''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

''), Mick Napier (

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre op ...

Tim Kazurinsky Timothy James Kazurinsky (born March 3, 1950) is an American actor and screenwriter best known as a cast member and writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' and for his role as Carl Sweetchuck in the '' Police Academy'' films. Early life Kazurinsky wa ...

(''

''), and

Stephnie Weir Stephnie Carmel Weir (born November 28, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for being a main cast member and writer on the Fox sketch comedy television series ''Mad TV'' from 2000 to 2005, for which she got two W ...

(''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...

''), among many other independent film and video makers.

Journalism and blogging

Stop Smiling magazine

O'Donnell has written for such national publications as ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' and ''

Stop Smiling ''Stop Smiling'' was an arts and culture magazine founded by J. C. Gabel in the Chicago suburb of Darien, Illinois. He started the magazine at age 19 in 1995. The magazine was published on a bimonthly basis. The headquarters was in both Chicago a ...

'' as well as having served under publisher J. C. Gabel as

editor-at-Large An editor-at-large is a journalist who contributes content to a publication. Sometimes such an editor is called a roving reporter or roving editor. Unlike an editor who works on a publication from day to day and is hands-on, an editor-at-large con ...

for the latter.

Static Multimedia E-zine

He served as editor-at-large for cultural

ezine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer magaz ...

Static Multimedia and wrote a daily column titled Kreep's Korner under his pen name The Kreep. For Halloween, October 31, 2008, O'Donnell's Kreep Blog on Static Multimedia was the cover story for the Chicago Tribune Movies page ''Screen Scene'' titled "Kreep-ing Along Poetically". It chronicled the history of his blog and podcast The Kreep, that reviewed horror films in poetic verse. It accredited his daughter Valia for encouraging him to go public with his Kreep character and poems. In 2008, O’Donnell's blo
The Kreep
received a ''

Coraline ''Coraline'' () is a dark fantasy horror children's novella by British author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing ''Coraline'' in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best ...

'' handmade box, numbered 46/50, assembled by the stop-motion animation team at

Laika Laika (russian: link=no, Лайка; – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecra ...

films, honoring their favorite bloggers.

B. R. Kreep

B. R. Kreep (a.k.a.

The Kreep Brazillia R. Kreep (also known as The Kreep) is a Gothic poet, playwright, composer, lyricist, and illustrator in the tradition of Edward Gorey, and is the pen name of writer R. O’Donnell. Premise and background Static Multimedia The K ...

) is O'Donnell's

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

. He has a Gothic blog entitled

. This persona, according to

Robert K. Elder Robert K. Elder (born January 20, 1976) is an American journalist, author, and film columnist. He is currently the President and CEO othe Outrider Foundation He has written more than a dozen books on topics ranging from the death penalty and m ...

of the ''Chicago Tribune'', is, “…a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

poet and illustrator in the tradition of

Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for books by other w ...

.” As B. R. Kreep, O'Donnell has penned numerous poems called Kreeplets as well as having written and composed over half a dozen full-scale musical comedies including ''An Evening With The Kreep'', ''Kreepshow'', ''Kreepmas'', ''Mr. Scrooge'', ''Twist'', ''Kreepy Hollow'' and ''Alice Isn't All There''.

Port Townsend, Washington

Poetry Scream

O'Donnell produced and hosted (sometimes dressed as The Kreep) the Poetry Scream on July 30, 2010. Now an ongoing event, it features five poets on stage, Thursdays at the Boiler Room in

Port Townsend Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...

, Washington.

Black Pearl Cabaret

In 2012, O'Donnell founded the Black Pearl Cabaret with the mission to recruit a professional troupe of actors, variety artists and musicians to perform original works of a Gothic and macabre nature.

=''An Evening With The Kreep''

= In October 2012, Black Pearl Cabaret opened ''An Evening With The Kreep'', a musical comedy with book, music, and lyrics accredited to O'Donnell's nom de plume B. R. Kreep. The show featured the Kreep's poetry and songs, and summoned a variety of haunting characters from the Kreep's darkest dreams.

=Kreepmas

= On December 20, 2012, the musical comedy ''Kreepmas'' opened. A Gothic and macabre twist on the

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

classic ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

'', it has a book, music, and lyrics by B. R. Kreep. Characters included The Kreep performed by O'Donnell, Albert T. Krumb performed by Jason "Ares" Altamirano, Kreepy H. Krawler performed by cellist Aidan McClave, Thaddeus Plum performed by Joey Ripely, Matilda Pift performed by Misha Cassella-Blackburn, and the two-headed Twipple Twins, Twinkle & Dinkle, performed by Cassella-blackburn and Ripley.

=''Bite Me!''

= On February 14, 2013, Black Pearl Cabaret opened ''Bite Me!'' at the Pope Marine Building. It is a musical comedy spoof on the famed vampire film ''

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this il ...

''. The book, music, and lyrics were by O'Donnell.

=''Kreepshow''

= On March 29, 2013, O'Donnell's ''Kreepshow'' was presented for an open-ended run. A 90-minute Gothic musical comedy cabaret, it played weekends at the historic Manresa Castle. Characters include B. R. Kreep performed by O'Donnell, Parthenia Goste performed by Misha Cassella-blackburn, Jack Frost performed by Jason Altamirano, and Kreepy H. Krawler performed by cellist Aidan McClave. Steve Treacy, contributing theatre critic to the Port Townsend Leader, praised O'Donnell's artistry, “His writing, directing, acting and warbling abilities conspire to make him a quadruple threat. Even his spoken poems, especially “Little Annie Orkle,” are sparkling (no mean feat for that musty old art form).” In a “Best Local Theater of 2013” article published in the PT Leader Arts Section, "Kreepshow," a Gothic comedy cabaret conjuring some spiritual denizens of our Victorian seaport,” was listed as one of the favorite locally written plays penned by Brazillia R. Kreep. Other nods included one of the standout acting performances by R O’Donnell as The Kreep, as well as outstanding achievements in directing and choreography (O’Donnell) and costuming (Lynne Casella.)

Ogdensburg, New York

St. John's Conservatory Theater

In 2014, O'Donnell founded the St. John's Conservatory Theater (SJCT), a professional troupe of actors, variety artists, and musicians. His vision was to create educational, inspirational, and professional opportunities for local artists of all ages while presenting original works based on folklore, literature, and fairy tales.

=''Alice Isn't All There''

= On October 10, 2014, at the St. John's Parish Theater the musical comedy ''Alice Isn’t All There'' opened. It was a 90-minute musical comedy with book, music, and lyrics by The Kreep. It is an adaptation of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's classic ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

''.

=''Alice Isn’t All There'' re-staged

= On June 3, 2016 ''Alice Isn't All There'' opened with an extended book, music, and lyrics by The Kreep.

=''A Kreepy Christmas Carol''

= On December 6, 2014 ''A Kreepy Christmas Carol'', a musical comedy adaptation on the Dickens classic ''

'' opened. It has a book, music, and lyrics by The Kreep.

=''Mr. Scrooge''

= ''Mr. Scrooge'', a musical comedy adaptation of Dickens' ''A Christmas Carol'', was a re-staging of The Kreep's musical ''A Kreepy Christmas Carol''. ''Mr. Scrooge'', with O'Donnell in the title role, opened December 15, 2017 at the multi-million-dollar, all-digital George Hall Theater, and opened again the following year on December 21, 2018 both for a limited runs.

=''Orchard of Hide & Seek''

= On July 9, 2015, the musical comedy ''Orchard of Hide & Seek'' opened. It was written, composed, and directed by O’Donnell.

=''Orchard of Hide & Seek'' re-staged

= O'Donnell's musical ''Orchard of Hide & Seek'' was re-staged at the George Hall Theater. It opened June 16, 2017 for a limited run.

=''Kreepy Hallow''

= On October 16, 2015, The Kreep's musical comedy ''Kreepy Hallow'' opened for a limited run. An adaptation of

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

's classic short story "

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' Written while Irving was living abroad in Birm ...

", it was produced and directed by O'Donnell.

=''Twist''

= On October 7, 2016, The Kreep's musical comedy ''Twist'', an adaptation of Dickens' ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' opened for a limited. The production was executive produced and directed by O'Donnell.

=''Twist'' re-staged

= On October 8, 2017 ''Twist'' opened for a limited run at the George Hall theater. The title role received a gender twist from Oliver to Olivia, something O'Donnell has established as a sort of signature with his adaptations (see ''Kreepy Hollow''). The production was executive produced and directed by O'Donnell.

=''Kreepy Hollow''

= On October 26, 2017 ''Kreepy Hollow'' (renamed from ''Kreepy Hallow'') was re-staged at the George Hall Theater for a limited run. The Ichabod Crane character received a gender change and renamed Ichaboda. It was executive produced and directed by O’Donnell.

Personal life

Richard O'Donnell is the identical twin brother of Michael A. O'Donnell. O'Donnell is the father of Valia Dee Lily O'Donnell, Timothy O'Donnell, and Richie O'Donnell.

Honors and awards

O’Donnell has received three

(1978) Music Awards – Off-Broadway Musical ''One & One'' (shared with Dianne Adams). O’Donnell's blog The Kreep received an honorary ''

'' handmade box, numbered 46/50.

References

External links

Internet Off Broadway DatabaseBroadway World DatabaseOvrturB. R. KreepSt. Johns Conservatory TheaterStand-up
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Richard 1956 births 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male poets American male stage actors American stand-up comedians Living people American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers American male musical theatre actors American musical theatre librettists American musical theatre lyricists American musical theatre producers American musical theatre composers American musical theatre directors American male songwriters 20th-century American comedians