I’ve never written anything like SWIMMING TO THE MOON before.  When Judy first came to me about writing a play about Jim Morrison, I turned her down – not once, but twice;  I just didn’t have any interest in penning another celebrity bio-play.  

But Judy is persistent, and when she asked me to just “read a little bit about him”, I found Morrison to be much more than I expected.  The first time I saw a film clip of him performing  I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  He clearly had (has) what we call “It”.  It didn’t take long for me to realize he was as exciting a protagonist for a play as I could possibly hope for.  His living (and dying) in the most dramatic and volatile decade in our history only seemed to add to the possibilities.  Add to that the surreal question of what  happened to Morrison after his death, and you’ve got the essence of the play. 

And as it turned out the story of Jim Morrison is as fascinating as the story of the historic times he – and many of us – lived through.  And although those times are long gone, the message of the rock star legend and those turbulent years are as contemporary as today’s headlines.   The sub-title of the play asks, “Who killed Jim Morrison?”  I tried to answer that question, both literally and figuratively, and along the way somehow Jim’s voice and needs became mine, and perhaps all of ours.

One of the things that makes the play so special is that it doesn’t matter whether you’ve been a life-long fan of Jim Morrison or you can have no idea who he is.  Ultimately, SWIMMING TO THE MOON, became the most unique and thought-provoking experience of my writing career, and I believe it will be exactly that for anyone who has the opportunity to experience it. 

I am thrilled to see it all come alive in the play you are going to see this evening.

Enjoy!

Jim Morrison was a unique specimen of human power and frailties.  Therefore, creating a believable counterpart to a once living legend is no easy task for both actor and director.  In this tale of Jim Morrison, we attempt to delve into who this man was and what and whom he cared about the most.  I have enjoyed working with each of these extraordinarily talented actors in SWIMMING TO THE MOON. They have dug deep down into the heart and soul of their characters and brought them to life each in their own way.  With the help of my dedicated team of accomplished theatre professionals, I am proud to bring playwright Gary Flaxman’s vision to a reality.

ESPN RADIO INTERVIEW
Host LaFern Watkins and Deidre Vanderwall interview
Gary Flaxman, Judy Rose, Abner Genece and Damon Shalit