Richard O'Donnell

Richard O'Donnell (born June 17, 1956) is an American playwright, composer, lyricist, poet, actor, and stand-up comic. He has worked and lived in New York City and Chicago, where he has written and performed for the stage and television. O'Donnell co-wrote the ASCAP award-winning Off-Broadway musical comedy One & One, and Radio City Music Hall's Manhattan Showboat. He founded the New Age Vaudeville theatre company, the New Variety cabaret, the Black Pearl Cabaret, and St. John's Conservatory Theater. As a stand-up comic, he was the executive producer and host of the Fox, Chicago comedy variety television show R. Rated.

Early life and education Richard O'Donnell began in the entertainment industry as a professional ventriloquist. While in Jr. high school, he ran away with the Sells & Gray 3-ring tent circus at the age of 15, O'Donnell was eventually forced to return home to finish school.

In 1974, he won a full scholarship to attend the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts at Bucknell University, where he studied theatre under Broadway actress, dancer, and playwright Dr. Glory Van Scott.

In 1975, O'Donnell graduated from Penncrest High School, Media, Pennsylavania. It opened Off-Broadway on November 15, 1978, and O'Donnell won three American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Awards, shared with Dianne Adams (Vocal Arranger, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder).

Manhattan Showboat In 1979, for Radio City Music Hall, O'Donnell co-wrote with Scott Bodie Manhattan Showboat produced by Robert Yani, which celebrated over 100 years of American entertainment. It featured musical direction and arrangements by Tony Award-winning conductor Donald Pippin, and John Corry of The New York Times wrote, "Three Cheers! It is slick and attractive, even witty. It has style."

The Double R In the 1980s, billed as "The Double R" comedy duo, in collaboration with screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, O'Donnell co-wrote and consecutively performed in several Off-Off-Broadway productions including Spare Parts, Blood-brothers, and Entrees at the 78th Street Theatre Lab, the Lion Theatre, and West Bank Cafe.

On the college circuit, they opened for Leon Redbone and further developed their work in stand-up comedy clubs such as New York City's Comedy Cellar and Yuk Yuk's in Toronto. While working with O'Donnell, LaGravenese discovered he had a knack for writing dialogue.

Fish Creek, Wisconsin

Comedy Cabaret In 1983, while living in New York City, O'Donnell was contracted by Tony Award-winning producer James B. McKenzie to create an after-show revue to complement evening performances of the Peninsula Players in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. The Comedy Cabaret, produced by Amy McKenzie and O'Donnell returned for a follow-up season in 1985 with O'Donnell's comedy revue, Dr. Funny Bones, presented by New Age Vaudeville in its own 75-seat theater at the Glidden Lodge resort, Baileys Harbor, WI.

Peninsula Players While working the Comedy Cabaret, O'Donnell also took to the main stage at Peninsula Players, starring in title roles of Larry Shue's The Nerd and The Foreigner. Both comedies were given two-week extended runs because of ticket demands.

In 1984, for the Peninsula Player's 50th Anniversary, O'Donnell was featured on the cover of the Chicago Tribune Magazine.

Wish Wisconsin In 1998, while living in Chicago, O'Donnell was commissioned to write the book, music, and lyrics for a new musical play entitled Wish Wisconsin, to celebrate the state's 150th birthday. Directed and produced by Amy McKenzie, it opened on January 2, in the Fish Creek Town Hall Auditorium. Songs included "Wish", "So Blessed", and "Oh!, Wisconsin".

Chicago, Illinois New Age Vaudeville In 1983, O'Donnell co-founded (with Amy McKenzie) the professional Actor's Equity theater company New Age Vaudeville (1984–1987). It was located at 3207 N. Wilton Ave. Noteworthy productions included O'Donnell's musical comedies An Evening With Elmore & Gwendolyn Putts, The Neighbors Next Door and The TV Dinner Hour (the later featured iO, formerly ImrovOlympic, founder Del Close as The Rev. Thing of the First Generic Church of What's His Name). Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune hailed both productions as "Among the most polished and clever productions of the season, a pair of devilishly inventive and challenging shows that won over critics and audiences."

Stand-up comedy As a stand-up comic, billed as R. O'Donnell, he headlined numerous comedy clubs throughout the 1980s and 90s, It ran for over two years, and was responsible for changing a faltering three-ring comedy presentation into a successful variety format.

The New Variety, which was hailed by the Chicago Tribune as "a cabaret for the 90's,"

Fox TV comedy variety shows Twisted O'Donnell produced and directed comedy segments for the 1993 New Year's Eve special Twisted, which aired on Fox TV, Chicago featuring Matt Besser (Comedy Central's Upright Citizens Brigade). He also wrote and directed commercials for McDonald's, Toyota, Jiffy Lube, and Ameritech, starring Besser and stand-up comic Michelle Garb in a stylistic homage to the works of Ernie Kovacs.

R. Rated In 1999, as R. O'Donnell, he executive produced, wrote, and hosted R. Rated, which aired late night on Fox TV in Chicago. This comedy variety show included short works by the Annoyance Theatre featuring Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), Mick Napier (The Second City), Tim Kazurinsky (Saturday Night Live), and Stephnie Weir (MADtv), among many other independent film and video makers. as well as having served under publisher J. C. Gabel as editor-at-Large for the latter. He also wrote a daily horror column titled Kreep's Korner and The Horror under his pen name B. R. Kreep.

B. R. Kreep B. R. Kreep (a.k.a. The Kreep) is O'Donnell's pen name.

As B. R. Kreep, O'Donnell has penned numerous poems called Kreeplets as well as having written and composed over half a dozen full-scale musical comedies including An Evening With The Kreep, Kreepshow, Kreepmas, Mr. Scrooge, Twist, Kreepy Hollow and Alice Isn't All There.

Port Townsend, Washington Poetry Scream O'Donnell produced and hosted (sometimes dressed as The Kreep) the Poetry Scream on July 30, 2010. Now an ongoing event, it features five poets on stage, Thursdays at the Boiler Room in Port Townsend, Washington.

Black Pearl Cabaret In 2012, O'Donnell founded the Black Pearl Cabaret with the mission to recruit a professional troupe of actors, variety artists and musicians to perform original works of a Gothic and macabre nature.

Kreepmas On December 20, 2012, the musical comedy Kreepmas opened. A Gothic and macabre twist on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, it has a book, music, and lyrics by B. R. Kreep. Characters included The Kreep performed by O'Donnell, Albert T. Krumb performed by Jason "Ares" Altamirano, Kreepy H. Krawler performed by cellist Aidan McClave, Thaddeus Plum performed by Joey Ripely, Matilda Pift performed by Misha Cassella-Blackburn, and the two-headed Twipple Twins, Twinkle & Dinkle, performed by Cassella-blackburn and Ripley.

Bite Me! On February 14, 2013, Black Pearl Cabaret opened Bite Me! at the Pope Marine Building. It is a musical comedy spoof on the famed vampire film Twilight. The book, music, and lyrics were by O'Donnell.

Kreepshow On March 29, 2013, O'Donnell's Kreepshow was presented for an open-ended run. A 90-minute Gothic musical comedy cabaret, it played weekends at the historic Manresa Castle. Characters include B. R. Kreep performed by O'Donnell, Parthenia Goste performed by Misha Cassella-blackburn, Jack Frost performed by Jason Altamirano, and Kreepy H. Krawler performed by cellist Aidan McClave.

Steve Treacy, contributing theatre critic to the Port Townsend Leader, praised O'Donnell's artistry, “His writing, directing, acting and warbling abilities conspire to make him a quadruple threat. Even his spoken poems, especially “Little Annie Orkle,” are sparkling (no mean feat for that musty old art form).” was listed as one of the favorite locally written plays penned by Brazillia R. Kreep. Other nods included one of the standout acting performances by R O’Donnell as The Kreep, as well as outstanding achievements in directing and choreography (O’Donnell) and costuming (Lynne Casella.) a professional troupe of actors, variety artists, and musicians. His vision was to create educational, inspirational, and professional opportunities for local artists of all ages while presenting original works based on folklore, literature, and fairy tales.

Alice Isn’t All There re-staged On June 3, 2016 Alice Isn't All There opened with an extended book, music, and lyrics by O'Donnell and accredited to his pen name B. R. Kreep.

A Kreepy Christmas Carol On December 6, 2014 A Kreepy Christmas Carol, a musical comedy adaptation on the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol opened. It has a book, music, and lyrics by O'Donnell and accredited to his pen name B. R. Kreep.

Mr. Scrooge Mr. Scrooge, a musical comedy adaptation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, was a re-staging of O'Donnell's musical A Kreepy Christmas Carol with book, music, and lyrics accredited to his pen name B. R. Kreep.

Mr. Scrooge, with O'Donnell in the title role, opened December 15, 2017 at the multi-million-dollar, all-digital George Hall Theater, and opened again the following year on December 21, 2018 both for a limited runs.

Orchard of Hide & Seek On July 9, 2015, the musical comedy Orchard of Hide & Seek opened. It was written, composed, and directed by O’Donnell. It opened June 16, 2017 for a limited run.

Kreepy Hallow On October 16, 2015, The Kreep's musical comedy Kreepy Hallow with a book, music, and lyrics by O'Donnell and accredited to his pen name B. R. Kreep, and opened for a limited run. An adaptation of Washington Irving's classic short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", it was also produced and directed by O'Donnell.

Twist On October 7, 2016, O'Donnell's musical comedy Twist, an adaptation of Dickens' Oliver Twist opened for a limited. The production had a book, music, and lyrics by O'Donnell and accredited to his pen name B. R. Kreep, and was also executive produced and directed by O'Donnell.

Twist re-staged On October 8, 2017 Twist opened for a limited run at the George Hall theater. The title role received a gender twist from Oliver to Olivia, something O'Donnell has established as a sort of signature with his adaptations (see Kreepy Hollow). The production was executive produced and directed by O'Donnell.

Kreepy Hollow On October 26, 2017 Kreepy Hollow (renamed from Kreepy Hallow) was re-staged at the George Hall Theater for a limited run. The Ichabod Crane character received a gender change and renamed Ichaboda. It was executive produced and directed by O’Donnell.

Personal life

O'Donnell is the father of Valia Dee, Tim, and Rich. He is the identical twin brother of Michael A. O'Donnell.

Honors and awards O’Donnell has received three ASCAP (1978) Music Awards – Off-Broadway Musical One & One (shared with Dianne Adams).

O’Donnell's blog The Kreep received an honorary Coraline handmade box, numbered 46/50.