‘Triassic Parq: The Musical’ opens tonight at the Center for Dramatic Art

Dinosaurs, sex and Morgan Freeman will share the stage tonight at the Center for Dramatic Art.

“Triassic Parq: The Musical,” is a comedy-rock-musical hybrid that follows an all-female dinosaur tribe as they navigate some abrupt,
phallic changes. The show features a cast clad in dinosaur-inspired costumes and uses improv and audience participation.

Nathaniel Claridad, the show’s director and a third-year MFA student, said the musical, which has only been performed in New York City and Los Angeles, digresses from regular musical theater styles.

“It’s definitely a collaborative thing. I constantly ask the cast, ‘Is this funny? What if we do this? Is that funny?’ Especially with a show like this that’s so broad comically, the question is what is funny,” he said.

The show is produced by Wagon Wheel Arts and features the Chapel Hill-based indie rock band Bears in the City as its supporting band.

The cast of the show is a unique conflation of UNC undergraduate and graduate students and professionals in the area.

Jackson Bloom, a senior majoring in dramatic arts and political science, plays Morgan Freeman in the play.

“He sort of opens the show just as you would expect Morgan Freeman to operate — he narrates and sets everything up for you,” said Bloom, who studied Freeman’s speaking style in the film “_The Shawshank Redemption_” in preparation for his part .

Bloom said he was eager to work with the diverse group of people on the production.

“We have a whole bunch of student-directed work and work that’s all undergrad (on campus), which is so great, but I very much enjoyed the chance to work with this kind of collaboration,” he said.

Jorge Donoso, a first-year MFA student who plays the Velociraptor of Innocence, said the novelty of the show enticed him to be a part of the production.

“I’d never done a show like this — a show that’s just not worried about offending people, and is kind of in your face,” Donoso said.

“It’s a show where everyone, including actors and not just the audience, has a blast from start to finish.”

The meat of the play resides in its fast-paced and raw jokes — which have been both an enjoyment and a struggle for the actors.

Early in the show, a character named T-Rex 2, played by recent graduate Jessica Sorgi, experiences physical changes that drive the plot.

She said she loved having permission to be ridiculous with the script.

“Being able to get each moment to play exactly how we want it to play and get the moment right in the context of the overall (arc) of the show is our main focus and probably our biggest struggle with the comedy,” Sorgi said.

And through those jokes emerges an entertaining and carefree environment for those who attend.

“It’s not one of those shows where there’s a deep message that makes you think or it teaches you something,” Claridad said.

“This is one of those shows that is part of the great escapism: you go, you turn off for a while, you enjoy a laugh and you leave. For 80 minutes you’re welcome to leave your troubles at the door and just laugh.”

arts@dailytarheel.com