Say what! Pulp Fiction: The Play coming to University Theatre

By Connor Sadler, August 7, 2014 —

Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction is coming to the stage August 13, commemorating the film’s 20th anniversary.

Pulp Fiction is a dialogue and character focused film which made the transition from screen to set smooth.

“You’re looking at 95 per cent accuracy,” says Jay Ross Crawford, who plays the part of Marsellus Wallace. Due to stage limitations, some scenes from the film cannot be recreated, such as Marsellus being hit by a car and Jules and Vincent getting hosed down.

At an hour-and-45-minutes long, the play runs shorter than the two-and-a-half-hour film. But everything fans of the movie love — from the twist competition at Jack Rabbit Slim’s to Captian Koons giving the gold watch to Butch — will still be included on stage.

“It’s not the biggest theatre, but the way it’s shaped, it’s like you’re right on top of [the actors],” Crawford says. “In the diner scene you’ll probably feel like you’re actually in the diner, like you’re sitting on the floor.”

The adaptation features local actors Jayson Therrien, Jerome de Gourville and Jen Znack in the iconic roles of Vincent Vega, Jules Winnifield and Mia Wallace.

But what does Marsellus Wallace look like, you may ask? Crawford says producer Naufail Gilani discovered the 6’7” hip-hop entertainer through Facebook and thought he was a natural fit for the part. Crawford jumped at the opportunity to play Marsellus, partially because of his love of the film.

“[Pulp Fiction] has a lot of quotes in there, a lot of things people remember and still use today,” Crawford says. “People still say ‘I’m gonna get medieval on your ass’.”

Qulum Entertainment is the first company in Canada to produce Pulp Fiction for the stage. Due to the Tarantino-esque nature of the play, the show will be 18 +.

The play will run from August 13–23 at the University Theatre.

Tickets are available at the campus ticket center. For more info go to wakeupthegimp.com