Dennis Frymire talks about his second go at DEVILS DON'T FORGET!

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The following entry was written by Chicago Mammals company member Dennis Frymire about what it was like to revisit the lead character of Buster in DEVILS DON'T FORGET.

"My first time playing Buster – the show’s second production - happened in May 2009, in the Right Brain Project space, up on the fourth floor of 4001 N. Ravenswood. A month after the show closed, Bob asked Susan Myburgh (Girl 1) and I to come back in for some pictures to use in a graphic novel version of the  play. Putting the costumes (and bandages) back on after only a few weeks after the production was over, it felt bizarre. An odd analogy, but I imagined this is what it feels like for television actors when they go back do to a reunion special for an old series.
Remounting the show two-and-a-half years later, I expected to have that same odd feeling as we went back in to rehearsal. I’m glad to say that’s not the case. The show is very much the same – we are after all working with the same script – but since the very first week, it has felt very different too. For one, the rest of the cast is new, save for Don, Gabe, and I. The next cast members are obviously giving their different takes on the characters. And even in the short scenes that are just Don, Gabe, and I, we’re finding and exploring options we didn’t the last time around.
As for myself, and how I’m approaching Buster differently this go-around, my biggest goal is to bring a little more humanity to the poor guy. A couple of years ago, I got very caught up in the idea of playing the square-jawed leading man – not a role I typically play – and I took the proceedings very seriously. This time, I’m trying to find a little more humor, and make Buster a little more likable. There’s not much levity in the show, aside from the few Abbott and Costello-esque antics Udo (Don) and Dum Dum (Gabe) provide, but I’m trying to find these moments while I can, while staying true to Bob’s vision.

And all that’s not to mention the cool video projections Bob and Warwick are concocting, which is sure to enhance a script so immersed in film noir. 

The upshot is, even if you saw the show last time (or time before), The Mammals have a very different show this time around. I hope you’ll come check it out."

Here's the Info!

The Mammals Theatre Company presents
DEVILS DON'T FORGET

written and directed by Bob Fisher

“It's like Dario Argento putting flowers on the grave of Raymond Chandler” - Nick Green w/The Reader

DEVILS DON'T FORGET – An amnesiac tries desperately to not remember his past, convinced that he was an accessory to some unspeakable evil. But his amnesia provides no refuge when devils he had hoped to forget return to collect their due. Inspired by 50’s hardboiled noir as well as classic Grand Guignol, DEVILS DON'T FORGET is an atmospheric descent into a metropolis populated with Femme Fatales, Punch Drunk Gangsters, and Shadowy Figures seemingly supernatural. It is the story of a man who tries to escape a demonic global conspiracy using self induced amnesia.

To find out more go to the Mammals blog at themammals.blogspot.com

Cast: Dennis Frymire, Sara Gorsky, Don Hall, Gabe Garza, Sarah Koerner, Annie Hogan, Erin Orr, and Justin Warren

Asst Director: Liz Chase
Costume & Prop Design : Ann Sonneville

Performance Dates are as follows
Saturday Jan 14th
Saturday Jan 21st
Saturday Jan 28th

Friday and Saturday Feb 3rd & 4th
Friday and Saturday Feb 10th and 11th
Friday and Saturday Feb 17th and 18th
Friday and Saturday Feb 24th and 25th

All performances are at 10pm – BYOB
Zoo Studios
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614 or by emailing us at themammals@gmail.com

The Chicago Mammals explore performance works embracing themes of history, mythology, and destiny through the genres of science fiction, horror, and phantasmagoria.