“Fool’s Gold” is a full-length musical comedy loosely based on the classic Irish play The Playboy of the Western World, by John Millington Synge. Set in a desolate former boom town during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1899, Fool’s Gold tells the story of hapless and unremarkable Francis Pine, who becomes an overnight celebrity when word spreads that in the heat of an argument he has killed his father.
The townsfolk, craving excitement and embellishing the story of the killing at every turn, rechristen meek Francis “Powderkeg Frank,” celebrating him as a living legend. Saloon-keeper Maggie takes a fancy to Francis, much to the chagrin of her lackluster fiancee Sam. Francis quickly falls for Maggie, too, the first kind woman he has ever known. With the women fawning over him and the miners fearing and respecting him, Francis begins to believe his own tall tale. He’s on top of the world until an ornery old man with a bandaged head arrives looking for his good-for-nothing fugitive son. As the tall tale crumbles, the townsfolk must face the facts behind their romantic notions, and the truth of their own desires.
“Fool’s Gold”, written by Sean Dillon and Curtis Krick, brings the lively atmosphere of a gold rush dance hall to the stage, and examines the seductive pitfalls of celebrity culture, as well as the elusive nature of what is truly valuable.
Production Team
