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Inspired by true events

by Susan Myburg, Company Member and actor in Tympanic Theatre Incubator

I was never a big Nirvana fan.  THERE! I said it.  Before you start casting your stones, do keep in mind that this more than likely a generational thing.  I was only eight around the time Kurt Cobain died.  However, since we started workshopping Verse Chorus Verse, I have become quite obsessed with the phenomenon that is Nirvana and the grunge legacy that Kurt Cobain left behind the day he (did or did not) commit suicide.

Perhaps more interesting than Cobain himself are the folks who inspired his work, the folks who we so rarely talk about.  In Verse Chorus Verse particularly, Randall focuses on Gerald Friend and Polly.  For those of you who don’t know, Polly was a 14 year old runaway from Tacoma, WA who was kidnapped by Gerald Friend in 1987 and than ever so gruesomely tortured by him.  I’ll spare you the horrific details, but she’s the supposed inspiration of Nirvana’s hit song of the same name.

Without giving too much away, Randall has spun a truly convincing and interesting case that Kurt’s untimely death was in fact a murder and not a suicide as most believe.  I’m not saying that one side is truer than the other, but it is pretty neat when you can blur the lines between real life and artistic inspiration through the theatrical medium.  A large part of our workshop discussions are centered around these thoughts, and as I watch this script being molded, I can’t help but get wrapped up in the art imitates life imitates art imitates life aspect of it all.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t necessarily believe in the conspiracy theory one way or another.  After all, I have been a Nirvana fan for a two ripe weeks now.  However, I do believe that this play will suck you in to its vortex and leave you feeling slightly tripped out and completely in the mood for some hard core Nirvana tunes.

Here’s some Nirvana love until next time!