Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Over the years, the bold Buntport Theater troupe has taken on literary giants, from Kafka to Eugene O’Neill, most of whom were male, as the subject matter of their original productions. But this year, says company member Brian Colonna, they’re lauding the literate ladies, at least with their season opener, My Hideous Progeny, which explores a certain period in the life of horror authoress Mary Shelley.

“The play takes place in a specific time, when she lost one of her children,” he explains. “She miscarried and was put in a tub by Percy to stop the hemorrhaging, so Mary is in a tub of ice throughout the whole play. And the whole meditation on this time mixes with the story of Mary and Lord Byron and Polidori all being in a house together in Italy and deciding to write horror stories.”

But, really, it’s difficult to describe any Buntport concoction. Part historical, part staging spectacle and part the Gestalt product of communing whimsical imaginations, My Hideous Progeny tells a story that jumps around in time and relies on unusual props that are anything but stationary — in this case, those would include endless projections of water (Percy Shelley, Colonna reminds, died in a boating accident), movable icebergs and the aforementioned tub, which also rolls around. And it’s not so much about Frankenstein and Mary Shelley’s works as it is about her relationship with her husband and how she single-handedly made him a poet who’s stood the test of time.

Wax poetic with Buntport beginning tonight at 8 p.m. at 717 Lipan Street (opening night includes a reception with food and drink); shows continue through October 22. Admission ranges from $13 to $20; go to www.buntport.com or call 720-946-1388 for details.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 9, 3 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 16, 3 p.m. Starts: Sept. 23. Continues through Oct. 22, 2011