One Flew East, One Flew West

I'm a fiction junkie, and I read anything I can get my hands on. That said, you'll comprehend the gravity of the following statement: One of my all-time favorite stories is that of Randle Patrick McMurphy, the authority-bucking, prostitute-befriending, lovable felon who turns Nurse Ratched's ward in the insane asylum...

By Amber Taufen

January 10, 2008

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I'm a fiction junkie, and I read anything I can get my hands on. That said, you'll comprehend the gravity of the following statement: One of my all-time favorite stories is that of Randle Patrick McMurphy, the authority-bucking, prostitute-befriending, lovable felon who turns Nurse Ratched's ward in the insane asylum into a house of fun, friendship and resistance -- until the Nurse's vengeance squelches McMurphy's spirit, and his compatriot, "Chief" Bromden, releases Randle from the prison of his mind even as the Chief himself escapes the ward.

Now imagine that story told by a group of people who have capabilities beyond those of usual actors to embody McMurphy, the Chief, the nervous and shy Billy Bibbitt, the repressed Dale Harding, the spineless Dr. Spivey and the authoritarian Nurse Ratched. The Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League (PHAMALY) features One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest tonight at 7:30 p.m.; the run continues Thursday through Sunday evenings through February 3. Tickets are $18 to $24, with buy-one-get-one-half-off discounts available on Thursdays. Cuckoo's Nest is at the Aurora Fox Theatre, 9900 East Colfax Avenue; call 303-739-1970 or visit www.phamaly.org.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Mon., Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m. Starts: Jan. 10. Continues through Feb. 3, 2008

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Amber Taufen has been writing about people, places and things in Denver since 2005. She works as an editor, writer, and production and process guru out of her home office in the foothills.

Contact: Amber Taufen

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