It all began last February with a vague idea of a character, an acoustic guitar and a storyteller winging it at The Players’ Ring production meeting—an annual event during which the Ring’s board decides the following season’s schedule of shows.

The guitar strummer was New York/New England artist Billy Butler, a name that draws instant recognition on the Seacoast theater scene. He’s played major roles like Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Show,” the lead role in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and even the title role in “Bat Boy” (he’s also played parts that don’t require tights). Also a well-known musician and director, Butler is a staple at the Barnstormers Theatre in Tamworth. He has also brought original works to the Seacoast and Boston area, including Lowell Williams’ award-winning “The Warmth of the Cold” and Ernest Thompson’s “Ax of Love,” which made a trek to the Boston Center for the Arts.

The storyteller was Dale Leeman, best known for his work as a technical director at various theaters across the Seacoast (he was among the last to leave when the Hampton Playhouse finally closed). Leeman’s the guy who has the job of setting up lights and building sets, creating the fertile ground upon which creative works come to life.

“The idea for this project was first conceived in March of 2007, just after Billy had completed The RPM Challenge.” Leeman says. The two have worked together in various capacities, some involving music, others entailing setting lights for shows or swinging hammers for sets. “He approached me about upping the ante for 2008’s RPM Challenge by adding the work of a script to the music requirements to make it a musical.”

The idea appealed to Leeman, who’d been looking for a challenge for some time. “So we set about writing up an outline of what we wanted to accomplish. The idea centered around a party, a ‘monster ball,’” he said.

From there, it developed into a cast of characters and a basic plot. Much has changed since the original idea was conceived, but that central idea still reverberates.

Butler and Leeman hoped their promising little ditty might snag a late-night summer slot during the 2008 season at The Players’ Ring in Portsmouth. They were surprised to find that out of all the shows pitched during the production meeting in February, their three-minute spiel was the buzz of the night. E-mails were exchanged, phone calls were made and people were talking before the ink was dry on the first draft.

In the end, Butler and Leeman not only landed a show at the Ring (there are generally six to eight aspiring plays for each slot), but won the coveted Halloween slot. The play will debut on Friday, Oct. 17, and run through Sunday, Nov. 2.

“Once upon a time, there was a forbidden love, ashamed and goddamned from the Lord up above. Hearts broken, true love denied—torn from her lover and made to be his bride.”

Thus begins the tale of “Gay Bride of Frankenstein.”

The song from which the above lyrics come, “The Prelude,” gives us the flavor of a past that sets the stage for the present. Decades ago, two girls formed a beautiful connection. They’d walk along the dirt roads in their small town, talking and holding hands. Before they had a chance to fully realize what this tingling feeling between them was, the mother of one of the girls sniffed trouble. Bible Mom, a crucifix-wearing, cringe-inducing Bible thumper, phones a boy who had been courting her daughter for years. He is handsome, smart and college-bound, and Bible Mom could never understand why her daughter always turned him down—until now. When the anxious mother offers her daughter’s hand in marriage, the stunned but thrilled boy agrees.

The dismal wedding consists of the new bride bawling through the ceremony. The groom is so busy grinning ear to ear and anticipating the wedding night that he doesn’t notice the sobs from behind the veil. He also fails to notice the mysterious girl sitting at the back of the nearly empty church, who finds she simply can’t watch and runs off as the vows are exchanged.

Jump ahead to the present. The story of the two heartbroken girls is long past, and we find ourselves in a high school biology class on Halloween. A strange teacher, Mr. Weatherspoon (Christopher Savage), is subbing for the class. Oddly, rather than sticking to the syllabus, he reads to the class from “Frankenstein.”

The roomful of seniors is made up of an interesting medley. There’s sweet, virginal Chloe (Hayley Nystrom), who’s determined to be a good girl until marriage. Then there’s her boyfriend Thad (Ari Wilford), who’s already decided on the fraternity he wishes to join the following year. The main requirement for joining Gamma Alpha Epsilon is that Thad must not show up at the frat with his virginity intact. Meanwhile, Chloe’s best friend Edna (Meghann Beauchamp) has long since realized that her love for Chloe goes beyond the affection typically felt between two best friends.

Much to everyone’s chagrin, the Halloween Dance is cancelled due to inclement weather. However, strange Mr. Weatherspoon invites the whole bunch to the annual “Monster Ball,” a celebration with a band called the Monster Makers. Chloe, Edna, Thad and Chloe’s brother Hairy (Tobin Moss) decide to make the long drive to the show. But on the way, things begin to happen that will change their lives forever.

Billed on its Web site as a “comic-book-rock-musical” for a new era, “Gay Bride” combines a number of art forms, blending music with illustrations and a distinctly cartoon-ish theme.

Not only does “Gay Bride” have an unusual plot, tackling a dark subject with a light feeling, but the production includes a second medium. During the course of the musical, a comic book version of the play rolls across a screen above the stage. This screen actually becomes a character, and the actors have conversations with the cartoon as it plays.

A recent check with Google showed that the new play’s title had been searched 122,000 times. “I didn’t know that. . . that’s cool!” Butler said when informed of this statistic. Leeman was less surprised. “We hoped to get people talking about it early so it could get worked into a few schedules,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot researching different viral campaign strategies. I’m glad to hear they’re paying off.”

Leeman is also aware that Butler’s songwriting tends to generate word of mouth quickly. “I think the final product is gonna blow people away,” he said.

“Gay Bride of Frankenstein” promises to be a “Rocky Horror Show” for the new millennium. Imagine Broadway musical “Avenue Q” without the puppets. Even more unusual for a campy musical, it’s got a plotline that’s both funny and complex. “All of the characters are archetypal and we tried not to take them too seriously,” Leeman said. “There are a few moral messages in our little fable, but mostly it’s a fun little romp.” 

Butler added other insights. “I would say it’s a combination of all the movies, music and TV that has influenced and inspired me. They say write what you know, and this show is probably a good example of that,” he said. “We spent a lot of time reading and researching our ideas, as well. I think I have read Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ more than a dozen times now.”

Accompanying “Gay Bride” is a graphic novel of the same title, depicting both the story’s tragic past and the present dilemma. Published by Severed Head Comics in Massachusetts, the book was illustrated by Dan Drew and designed by J.T. Falkenburg. The drawings have no dialogue but depict each scene with expert detail. The book carries a darker, more ominous tone than its stage version, showing what happens to people when something they love is yanked from them.

Many of the actors in the musical agree they’re involved in something they’ve never seen done before. “I can’t wait to see how the video-as-a-character aspect works in with the rest of the production,” Savage said. “It’s sort of like ‘Rocky Horror’ meets ‘Scooby Doo,’ but funnier and with much better music.”

Leeman said the script borrows from hundreds of different sources. “The plot follows a ‘Scooby Doo’ plotline—a bunch of kids finding themselves in an odd situation who work together, often splitting up in pairs, to solve the ‘mystery,’” he said. “It also borrows from a great deal of musical theater, though we tried to stay away from anything in particular. It was more about the moments that make up the whole.”

Leeman and Butler know that the success of a musical depends largely on the audience falling in love with the music. So they created a MySpace page for “Gay Bride” and included several of the show’s key songs, as well as a summary of the plot. It’s an unusual step for a theater production, but such tactics are likely to become more common. The site at www.myspace.com/gaybrideoffrankenstein also offers pieces of merchandise.

The songs definitely struck a chord with actress Meghann Beauchamp. “Just listening to those songs made me want to be part of this production. I heard that music, and it inspired me to bring my A-game to the audition,” she said. When Beauchamp was offered the part of Edna, she at first thought she was the butt of a joke. “I actually asked (stage manager) Lindsey Nelson if she was kidding.”

Another enthusiastic actress is Hayley Nystrom, whose real-life sweetness and innocence reflect the character Chloe that she plays. “I’ve never done a rock musical before,” she said. Even more Chloe-like, Nystrom adds, “When I got the call telling me I’d been cast, I smiled for two days straight.”

But Nystrom said she can also relate to the gothic Edna. “We all know how annoying it is to be the ‘friend’ helping with relationship issues when we’d rather be in the relationship,” she said. “I love how everyone is throwing themselves into their roles. Some are more like their characters in real life than others, but in the show I think everyone defines their character quite well.”

Ensemble productions can be tough, but so far, the “Gay Bride” cast seems to be characterized by mutual admiration. “I’ve been having an absolutely wonderful time through this whole process, with the whole cast. I never want this show to end,” Nystrom said. Her greatest hope for the show? “That everyone enjoys seeing it as much as we enjoy doing it.”

Reflecting on this massive theater project, Leeman said the most important part of the process came back in February. “The month of February was a lot longer for us this year,” he said. “Every day was spent writing, deleting, writing, editing, playing music, changing lyrics, writing. We probably wrote about a 300-page script, with music, if you count all the stuff that fell to the floor that month. In the end, it was 66 pages with 10 songs by Feb. 29. We’ve fleshed it out since then, added a few songs and fixed some dialogue, but the bulk of it was completed in that long month.”

When Butler was asked the most important part of the creative process, he said simply, “Right now.”
       
“Gay Bride of Frankenstein” runs from Oct. 17 through Nov. 3 at The Players’ Ring, 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Call 603-436-8123 for reservations.