Stage-to-screen adaptations have given us beloved films like His Girl Friday, , and West Side Story. The subgenre has also produced Dear Evan Hansen, so it’s a mixed bag. Either way, casual fans might assume the genre’s output is mostly musicals and Shakespearean works, but there’s a surprising amount of experimental content out there too. Now, one of today’s most creative directors is adapting a theatrical piece that takes an iconic pop culture work — — and turns it into a post-apocalyptic story of hope and survival.
Playwright Anne Washburn recently announced a film adaptation of her most notable work, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, directed by Sorry to Bother You filmmaker Boots Riley, a project Riley has confirmed . The three-act play depicts the world after an unspecified apocalyptic event. In Act One, set shortly after the catastrophe, a group of survivors gather around a campfire and distract themselves by trying to recall the plot of The Simpsons’ “Cape Feare” episode; this scene was crafted by actually assembling actors and asking them to remember the show. Then, in Act Two, we jump seven years ahead and follow a troupe of actors as they tour with a production of this and other Simpsons stories, in a Station-Eleven-style format.
Finally, Act Three shows what happens after the story has circulated through post-apocalyptic culture for 75 years. The lighthearted theater piece has transformed into an epic tragedy; Simpsons characters are represented via masks, and the original “Cape Feare” villain, , is replaced by Mr. Burns — now an all-encompassing symbol of evil, much like how early theater relied on stock characters.
The play poses an intriguing question about modern pop culture: Centuries from now, what will be remembered about our time? And how will it be remembered? Just as we recall Greek myths, our era could be remembered through its enduring stories of heroes and villains — whether via old The Simpsons episodes or the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the shorter term, Mr. Burns is a play about theater, so it will be interesting to see how it translates to the screen. But if anyone can take an abstract concept like this and turn it into an enjoyable movie experience, it’s Boots Riley.