Are you going anywhere near Lima, Ohio, this weekend or next?
If so, you could see the world premiere of Spoon Millionaires, a comedy by Lake Worth resident Jim Jividen, a former criminal defense attorney who now works as a paralegal instructor, but would really rather make a living as a playwright.
Fifteen years ago, Jividen, now 35, started a comedy troupe in college with his writing partner, Kirk Hiner. The troupe has long since disbanded, but the two men continued to write together, churning out plays which were then tossed into desk drawers. Spoon Millionaires "...just somehow crawled its way out of the drawer and now is coming of life," says Jividen.
The play is a period piece, since it is set in 1986, the year they started writing it. "It's about a family named Witherspoon that owns a record company, Spoon Records," says Jividen. "They have made their money on a multi-generational patent, not only on the spoon, but on all intellectual property rights to the word 'spoon.' Now they are seeing their financial fortunes fade and they are looking for one big score to save the family dynasty."
It is debuting in Lima because of a connection made by a former member of Jividen's comedy group with the theater company at the Lima Civic Center. But Jividen would love to see the play produced in South Florida, or anywhere frankly, which is why he created a Web site (www.spoonmillionaires.com) to market the script.
"For some reason, we're very popular in Germany," he reports. "I think we're going to have to increase the number of David Hasselhoff references."
In an attempt to build what Jividen calls "Spoon-mentum," the Web site features the play's title superimposed on the cover of Entertainment Weekly and a fake billboard endorsement from Oprah Winfrey. The show's promotional postcards probably say it best, calling Spoon Millionaires "Like Snakes on a Plane! Without the snakes. Or the plane."
Hey, if he gets sued, at least Jividen can defend himself.
Asked if he plans to quit his teaching job for a life in the theater anytime soon, Jividen says, "I own a house and a car and am the sole caretaker of a very persnickety cat, so until there are paychecks on the other side of this fence, I think I'll probably stay where I am."
Still, if you happen to be in Lima between now and Aug. 19, call (419) 224-1552 for tickets.
