Bold, brash, beautiful: Unveiling ‘Mynx & Savage’ on stage

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A new play has come to town. Written by Rebecca Gorman O’Neill, Mynx & Savage is playing at The Actors’ Group (TAG) Brad Powell Theater.

The story is about Adam who is a comic book writer and who has been coasting on his past successes in the glossy pages of Mynx and Savage.

The drama ensues when Adam’s employer assigns him a partner named Ket. Ket has been put into place to ensure Adam makes his next publishing deadline.

In the story, Ket is a young and ambitious professional; but her life changed when she encountered Adam’s first serious graphic novel. Now, she aches to know what new, “important” work Adam is creating.

Fantasy begins to bleed into reality as the duo sets to work on the 100th issue of Mynx and Savage leading to the superheroes and their mild-mannered alter egos invade the artists’ space.

Once Adam finally begins to trust Ket, he shares a story he’s been hiding. It is the story of Jill and Kyle, two childhood friends on a summer break who dream of being superheroes. While Kyle is frightened to take the journey, Jill has a deep need to pursue it. But Kyle is secretive, while Jill insists on honesty.

This is the story that tortures Adam; the story he’s been hiding from the world.

It’s revealed that this relationship is the origin story of Mynx and Savage. In the end, as the worlds of the children, the superheroes and the artists collide, Ket helps Adam realize that he has no future until he makes amends with his past.

It is the psychological depths that this play plumbs which drew director Betty Burdick to it. Adam is played local actor Michael “Donut” Donato, and Ket is played by local actor Romyn Sabatchi.

“I really fell in love with the script,” revealed Brudick. “I think Neil Gorman’s script is really beautifully written. I’m married to a comic book nerd; so, that attracted me to it also. I’m often attracted to plays that have psychological depth to them. This this piece manages to be fun and looks frivolous, but it’s a deep exploration.”

This is exactly what drew Donut to the script.

“When I read the script, I just thought, I was blown away,” said Donut. “I love superheroes, and I love media. I love superhero films; so, a play about the making of something like this hooked me.”

The four-actor ensemble is bringing this story to life for audiences in Honolulu.

“There’s a lot of rich things to be explored in this play,” explained Burdick. “This is a character driven piece. So, it’s centered around Adam and his new relationship with his new assistant.”

Donut went on to explain that when actors and directors embark on a play with so much emotional psychological explorations, it can take a toll on the creative involved, especially if their emotional histories have not been explored.

“Trying to create something else when you haven’t unpacked all of your baggage yet, spoke to me,” confided Donut. “I write plays; I direct. I also do improv; and you know, there comes a point where it’s, like, ‘everybody knows me for those pursuits, but I’d like to do something’. That’s where I realized Adam and I share a lot of personality traits.”

You can click here for more information the play, where it will be showing, showtimes and ticket prices.

The play begins on Friday, Nov. 17 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 3.