Michael Patrick Flanagan Smith is the sort of guy everyone should get to see in action. The dude is a consummately talented performer: he sings, he writes music, he plays mandolin and guitar (not simultaneously), he writes stories, he writes plays, and he acts. (I have even seen him do some modern dance, although he made me promise not to tell anyone.)
He also has twice as many names as anybody probably needs, and he is commonly referred to by any of the seemingly endless permutations of those names: Mike, Mike Patrick, Michael, Michael Patrick, Smith, Flanagan, Flanagan Smith, MPFS, and (my personal favorite) Johnny Rope. And while it may sound like Mike is an open-and-shut schizophrenia case, it might be closer to the truth to say that he simply has too much talent to bridle with just one moniker.
I've had the good fortune to work with Johnny Rope to develop print products for several of his ventures over the past few years. His big upcoming venture is the play Woody Guthrie Dreams, which he wrote and will star in. The play has been some years in development, and I got involved to do publicity and programs beginning with a staged reading last year.
Postcard - Woody Guthrie Dreams, 2010
Program - Woody Guthrie Dreams, 2010
For anybody who's curious, the dazzling cover artwork is courtesy of Ben Thomas.
This year, Mike brought me in again to do some publicity for a concert benefiting the show, which led to this beauty:
Postcard - Woody's 99th Birthday Bash
The fully produced show will run from September 8th till October 1st at the Theater for The New City. (155 First Venue) More details can be found on the show's website, (www.woodyguthriedreams.com) and also on this stunningly beautiful postcard:
Postcard - Woody Guthrie Dreams, 2011
If you come to the show (and you should), please be sure to mention to Johnny Rope that you showed up because of the postcard.
© 2011, Pie a la Mode Productions