Having established themselves with blockbusters like Cocktails, Urinetown, The Full Monty and Evil Dead: The Musical, Calgary's Ground Zero Theatre/Hit and Myth productions continue to show their versatility by presenting David Mamet's play Speed The Plow, playing at The Studio at Vertigo Theatre until November 22nd.

People will recognize the name of the show as being Madonna's Broadway debut, and more recently, the controversy over actor Jeremy Piven leaving the Broadway production due to health issues. Julie Orton plays Karen, the role that Madonna originally filled.

"I didn't even think about the fact that Madonna had originated the role until it was brought up to me. Karen is a really interesting, difficult role. Max has written her as a blank slate so it is up to the actor to really fill in who Karen is, why she is there and does what she does. When I was reminded that Madonna played the role I was surprised and taken aback a little bit. She probably made 100% different choices then I am making. In a certain way they are big shoes to fill but I will just let Madonna be Madonna and I will make sense of Karen," Orton told GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.

The show is about the modern movie business and also stars Ryan Luhning and Trevor Leigh.

"Two high level executives get a blockbuster script attached to a big blockbuster star and all they have to do is pitch it to the studio head and they will be made millionaires. Along the way they meet the temporary secretary, Karen, who comes across a novel that one of the execs has been asked to read as a courtesy. It is a heavy, convoluted novel with heady ideas and she convinces one of the executives that he should make this film, as opposed to the sure-thing film, because it has important messages that the audience needs to hear. It is up to the audience to decide how genuine Karen is and what the power of this book really is. It is basically art vs. power vs. wealth, which are rampant in Hollywood these days."

Ground Zero/Hit and Myth has generated great buzz with their past shows and that has generated a lot of interest in Speed The Plow despite the lack of blood or singing.

"The Ground Zero experience is unlike any I have had so far in Calgary. It is very male dominated, which is lots of fun and a change of pace for me. With the exception of the stage management crew I am the only female in the room. It is an entirely different way of working and communicating and a huge learning curve, but a lot of fun as well."
"They are really excited about this project. They are coming off the heels of the huge success of Evil Dead, this is so different and more intimate from those shows. They are quite excited to show another side of their company, a more intimate change of pace play. The energy that has been generated by Evil Dead has really propelled this show along. We are getting a lot of interest in this play which is great."
A dynamic show that is getting rave reviews, Orton feels that it will appeal to anyone who buys a ticket.

"Speed The Plow is very much about big business but also about relationships. ...It is about how money and power can influence the dynamic between two men, and once you throw a strong woman in the mix, it really throws their world for a loop. Any audience member who is interested in seeing really strong characters and dynamics between the sexes will be interested in the play."