Specs, bugs and rockrollers

The Little Brown Theatre will open its family comedy "Rockrollers and Pancakes" this Friday. The original play, which premiered to record audiences in 1998, will be directed by VIP ARTS founder and playwright Bill Brown Jr.

This '50s comedy is based on the true story of a family in crisis who finds itself homeless after the father -- already struggling to support nine people while attending graduate school -- is seriously injured. With nowhere else to go, the family camps out in Provo Canyon.

"Some people think rockrollers are musicians, but they are little crustaceans that grow on the bottom of rocks in the Provo River," Brown said. "It's a true story, that while my father was doing chemical experiments in a BYU lab, he fell and suffered a skull fracture. He lost his dairy job, was evicted from his home, and took us to live in a tent at Vivian Park."

Brown has found the humor in this crisis situation as the children -- thinking the whole thing was a lark -- enjoyed themselves, while Mom felt frustrated and Dad retreated.

"One of the staples in our diet was pancakes and lots of them," Brown recalls. And so rockrollers and pancakes are the two words that tell the most about that memorable summer.

The main conflict in this story is between Midge Johnston, the oldest daughter and her father, George, a lifetime student working on his master's degree. Midge is a senior in high school and would like to go to the Senior Prom with her best friend Brad.

The flamboyant Aunt Flo comes for a visit after five years of living in Texas, where she has accumulated some wealth.

Noted playwright Tim Slover said: "This play deals with real, honest-to-goodness problems in two generations."

This production will play each Monday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at The Little Brown Theatre, 239 S. Main St. in Springville. Tickets are $6-$8 and may be purchased at the door. Reservations are suggested; call 489-3008.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page F13.