Captain Cobalt Flies into Midtown for her NYC Premiere

What do you get when you combine comic book fights; wacky, vaudevillian humor; two actors playing 18 characters; and a trunk full of bananas? You get Captain Cobalt vs. the Sinister Scientist, a new, two-woman show making its NYC debut for one night only on April 1.

Playwright Sarah Rae Brown finished the first version of the Captain Cobalt script three years ago. She invited her sister Hannah Brown to read through her play out loud in the park. The first thing Hannah said after they finished was, "we have to put on this show." After two workshops and five rewrites, the pair is thrilled to put up their first fully-mounted production of this madcap masterpiece in the Playroom Theater in midtown.

The story is as familiar as Saturday-morning cartoons: Captain Cobalt, a blue-clad, up-and-coming superhero, must defend the metropolis against fearsome foes like a genetically-modified squid monster, giant killer robot, and General Chipmunkerstein’s chipmunk army. But no villain is as nefarious as the sinister scientist Dr. Killington, the Captain’s nemesis since childhood. Captain Cobalt invites the audience to use their imagination bringing the story to life – all the props are represented by bananas. But there’s enough cartoon-style violence that it’s recommended for ages 8 and up.

“We just want to make people laugh!” Said playwright Sarah, “there’s something really important about forgetting all the scary news headlines, stress at work, and all your problems, and just taking two hours to laugh at nonsense.” Hannah added, “we’ve laughed a lot over the three years we’ve spent working on this play, getting to know these 18 characters. I think the audience will laugh as hard and long as we have, and I’m so excited to share that joy!”

Befitting its shoestring budget, Captain Cobalt’s NYC debut is a one-night-only event. The production team hopes to drum up awareness of the new work as the first step toward a longer run. And, in a happy accident, that entire production team is women. So, you won’t just be catching a hilarious new play in its off-off Broadway debut, you’ll be supporting women in the arts.

Captain Cobalt vs. the Sinister Scientist is playing at the Playroom Theater at 151 W. 46th St., 8th floor, on Monday, April 1, at 7 p.m. You can get your tickets at www.captaincobalt.eventbrite.com.