Will They Like Me?

In adapting the children’s book “Bill’s New Frock” for the theater, necessity proved to be the (stage) mother of invention.

When the show premiered in Scotland more than a decade ago, the production’s meager budget left director Doug Irvine with no choice but to go minimal: four actors, three chairs, no props, no scenery. Most of the budget went toward the pink frock of the title.

After that, said Irvine, “all we had [left] was invention to tell this story.”

Fortunately, the bare-bones staging struck a chord with British tykes, and the play became such a hit that Irvine still gets requests to stage it, seven years after it last toured the U.K.

Now, as the production arrives in Southern California--beginning March 30 as part of Center Theatre Group’s P.L.A.Y. program that includes public performances and tours through Southern California schools--Irvine sees no need to mess with a good thing.

“Part of the beautiful, special thing about this type of theater is that you have to use your imagination,” Irvine said.

The Anne Fine novel that inspired the play deals with themes of gender discrimination and adolescent angst.

A 10-year-old boy named Bill wakes up one morning to find he’s a girl, and his mom sends him off to school in a frilly pink dress. The boys ban Bill from their playground games. Eventually, Bill learns a lesson about discrimination.

The theme may seem universal, but it’s far from certain whether the play’s British humor will resonate here. In the U.K., the comic tradition of the male in drag is everywhere, from Benny Hill to Monty Python to Dame Edna. Fine herself is also the author of the book “Alias Madame Doubtfire,” a cross-dressing caper that was made into the movie “Mrs. Doubtfire” starring Robin Williams.

Irvine has tinkered a bit to Americanize the new version. For example, in the first version, when Bill shows up in his dress, his male classmates ban him from the soccer field. In the U.S. staging, Bill is instead banned from the gridiron.

But most of the story is untouched. Back in 1991, Irvine and his Scottish acting troupe, Visible Fictions, thought they saw a “theatrical” style in Fine’s book that would translate well to theater, and so they adapted it for the stage.

“Plays should be a springboard for young audiences’ imaginations,” Irvine said. “Like when you read a book, you have to do a bit of work with your imagination.”

The troupe was new and eager to establish itself in children’s theater, which members felt was more important than standard repertoire.

“Children don’t know yet what the world is for them,” Irvine said. “They are trying to figure out what the world is all about, and we have a responsibility to present them things that will shape their minds and give them a taste of what the theater can be.”

It was that sense of fun that would eventually attract the directors of P.L.A.Y., or Performing for Los Angeles Youth. Irvine agreed to take a break from his troupe to bring a version of “Frock” to Los Angeles.

The production stars Kimble Jemison, who says he’s delighted to wear the pink dress. It’s quite a change for him; his resume is dominated by movies and sitcoms in which he often played military men or cops.

“This has given me a chance to flip to the lighter side, to go out there and have fun,” said Jemison. “As an actor, I can take it to new heights where I have never gone before.”

Specifically, he and Irvine said they’re aiming for a colorful yet gentle kind of satire, the kind offered in the British-made clay-animated tales of Wallace and his dog, Gromit. They’re hoping to entertain without getting too outrageous.

Fellow actor Paula Killen, who plays a slew of supporting roles in the show, says “Frock” is one of the hardest and most rewarding productions she’s ever done--partly because of the minimalist set.

“Every beat, every moment, is choreographed,” Killen said. “So a 30-second bit will take us the whole morning to work on.”

In the end, the show’s cast and producers hope, the play will sharpen kids’ minds and tickle their funny bones so completely that they won’t think about the work or thought that went into the play.

“I am sure it is going to go by in a blink,” Killen said.

“Bill’s New Frock” can be seen on Saturdays at the following venues:

March 30 at 1 p.m. at the 24th Street Theatre, 1117 W. 24th St., L.A. Information: (213) 745-6516.

April 6 at 11 a.m. at the Asian Youth Center, 100 W. Clary Ave., San Gabriel. Information: (626) 309-0622, Ext. 114.

April 13 at 1 p.m. at the Ivar Theatre, 1605 N. Ivar, Hollywood. Information: (213) 972-7587.

April 27 at 11 a.m. at Performing Arts Center at the University Student Union at CSU Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. Information: (818) 677-3943.

General information on public and school performances: (213) 972-7589.