Rehearsals under way for Plymouth Rock Studios, the series
You stand in the foyer, happily confused, a notebook in your pocket, a pen in your hand. David Kirkpatrick is seated in the next room and envelops you in his big hello, as a man to your right extends his hand, explaining that he is an "act-OR." He stresses the last syllable, mockingly pretentious, and laughs.
Kirkpatrick takes you on a tour of the premises, cringing slightly over the wallpaper, which features a repeating pattern of pictures that look like Pilgrims. Someone went a little nuts in here with the Colonial theme, but he just shrugs. That wall is coming down, anyway, he says, to widen the room for the 2020 Commission to meet and plan for Plymouth's 400th anniversary.
His shoelaces are untied, and you weigh whether to tell him. Maybe the concern will just irritate this former Paramount Pictures president, the force behind some of your favorite movies of all time. But an image of David Kirkpatrick catapulting down the stairs flashes through your mind, forcing it out of you.
"Your shoelaces are untied," you hear yourself say.
"Yes, I know."
Kirkpatrick ignores his shoes and smiles as he opens another door, waving toward the porch area with a panoramic view that drops your chin. It's his home now, the place where two completely different worlds are colliding daily with an almost audible crash.
Plymouth Rock Studios, Kirkpatrick's company, is peopled with Hollywood executives who place calls to directors like Stephen Spielberg the way you call your brother. Kirkpatrick and company tried to keep a low profile - were, in fact, committed to keeping a low profile. But a fire in the chimney of this home the day of the annual Thanksgiving celebration crippled that plan, drawing a barrage of firefighters and siren-blaring engines to the door while hundreds of parade-goers gathered on the waterfront watched the house on fire while they waited. These movie executives laugh it off now, somehow coming to terms with the fact that disappearing in a town like Plymouth is like trying to hide in the desert.
You suddenly find yourself seated at a table with actors performing a read-through of the first episode of Plymouth Rock Studios, the TV series. Kirkpatrick is playing himself, as are several Plymouth notables. But the original hope to have selectmen play themselves has been canned due to conflict of interest laws. That disappointment, however, wasn't so much as a stone in the shoe of this project, which is hurtling forward despite the skepticism of some Plymouth folks who still can't quite believe it's not all a joke.
Newsflash: It's going to happen. And soon.
David Kirkpatrick isn't stupid. A collision of worlds makes for great theater, and a TV series about Plymouth would not just entertain the multitude; it would boost this town's economy. While Plymouth Rock Studios seeks approval for its proposal for a full-scale Hollywood-style studio on 350 acres of town-owned land in South Plymouth, the company is also doing what it does best: making TV and movies. The series is proof that Kirkpatrick is determined to make good on his promise to link the new studio to the downtown area's tourist industry, and inject some vitamin B-12 into Plymouth's economy.
While the read-through and its hopeful stars must remain a mystery until all parties sign off on it, the thrust of the show is revealed in one word: hilarious.
Kirkpatrick pokes fun at himself, Hollywood and everybody in between. Like Larry David, who plays himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Kirkpatrick and his fellow actors in the show shoot from the hip in this no-holes barred comedy/drama, he calls a "dramady." The read-through revealed refreshing, edgy dialogue with no window dressing. It smacks of reality in spite of the dash of fiction that's been tossed into the mix.
The story line hinges on the truth - a group of Hollywood execs working to locate a movie studio in South Plymouth and the gyrations that intent sets in motion. Kirkpatrick takes concerns over his company's religious bent head-on in a hilarious volley of dialogue and scenes that will leave viewers doubled over on their couches. The show shatters icons with a clown's shoe. Nothing is off limits when it comes to the issues Plymouth Rock Studios shoulders, from bigotry to the environment.
Kirkpatrick plans to shoot the first installment of the series in March and hopes to air the premier sometime in the spring or summer.
So, hold onto your hat and your remote. Plymouth Rock Studios, the TV series is real; it's being shot right here in Plymouth; and it's coming soon to PACTV's 10 p.m. time slot. The actors are learning their lines as you read these. It's a risk David Kirkpatrick is not at all afraid to take.
He doesn't need to tie his shoelaces.