Midnight at the Casa Luna
Encyclopedia
Midnight at the Casa Luna is a radio drama
, produced by the ZBS Foundation
. The two parts of the story were released individually in 1998 and 2000; part two has the title The Hungry Ghosts. It is the eleventh of the Jack Flanders
adventure series, and combines elements of Americana
and Old-time radio
with metaphysical concepts such as Sufi wisdom
and Tibetan Buddhism
.
is wandering the streets of New York, close to his home, when he notices an tree-lined street he'd never seen before. Down this street lies an interesting looking coffee shop called The Casa Luna. Jack enters and finds himself talking to the Balinese waitress, Nani, about another Casa Luna that Jack had visited whilst in Bali. A mysterious woman, Nina, arrives and persuades Jack to come with her, leading him to a journey through the dream-like dimensions of higher realities. Along the way they are joined by Leela, an Infrit ("They don't like being called demons!") and Jack's uncle Sir Henry Jowls from The Fourth Tower of Inverness
and try to capture a large magical green stone - the source of the dangerous and infamous Dragon Lady
, Madame Zee's power.
The second part of the story finds Jack back in New York, searching in vain to find the Casa Luna again. When a strange being appears, threatening him, the Casa Luna comes to the rescue and once again he joins forces with Sir Henry Jowls and the Leela - although they are a different Sir Henry and Leela with no memory of the events in Part One. Jack persuades them to help return the green stone to the sacred city of Merkahbah - as his dreams have been telling him so to do.
Jack: "How did you know I was here?"
Madame Zee: "Do you really know where here is?"
Part One
Part Two
Crew
Voices recorded at BackPocket Studios in New York City. Production mixed at ZBS Froggy Acres.
This project was funded by the Friends and Fans of ZBS and special thanks to John Romkey.
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
, produced by the ZBS Foundation
ZBS Foundation
ZBS Foundation, a small non-profit audio production company, was founded by Thomas Lopez in 1970 with a grant from Robert E. Durand as a working commune based on a donated farm in Upstate New York...
. The two parts of the story were released individually in 1998 and 2000; part two has the title The Hungry Ghosts. It is the eleventh of the Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
adventure series, and combines elements of Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
and Old-time radio
Old-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
with metaphysical concepts such as Sufi wisdom
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
and Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
.
Plot
One evening Jack FlandersJack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
is wandering the streets of New York, close to his home, when he notices an tree-lined street he'd never seen before. Down this street lies an interesting looking coffee shop called The Casa Luna. Jack enters and finds himself talking to the Balinese waitress, Nani, about another Casa Luna that Jack had visited whilst in Bali. A mysterious woman, Nina, arrives and persuades Jack to come with her, leading him to a journey through the dream-like dimensions of higher realities. Along the way they are joined by Leela, an Infrit ("They don't like being called demons!") and Jack's uncle Sir Henry Jowls from The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness is a 1972 radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the first of the Jack Flanders adventure series, and combines elements of Americana and Old-time radio with metaphysical concepts such as past life regression, Sufi wisdom, Tibetan Buddhism and shamanistic...
and try to capture a large magical green stone - the source of the dangerous and infamous Dragon Lady
Dragon Lady
Dragon Lady is a phrase referring to a seductive, treacherous, domineering, and/or tyrannical woman, especially an Asian one. Women famously referred to as "Dragon Lady" include:*Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, First Lady of South Vietnam...
, Madame Zee's power.
The second part of the story finds Jack back in New York, searching in vain to find the Casa Luna again. When a strange being appears, threatening him, the Casa Luna comes to the rescue and once again he joins forces with Sir Henry Jowls and the Leela - although they are a different Sir Henry and Leela with no memory of the events in Part One. Jack persuades them to help return the green stone to the sacred city of Merkahbah - as his dreams have been telling him so to do.
Quotes
Nani: "Oh! You never find the Casa Luna, Mr Jack. The Casa Luna finds you..."Jack: "How did you know I was here?"
Madame Zee: "Do you really know where here is?"
Credits
- Jack FlandersJack FlandersJack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
- Robert LorickRobert LorickRobert Lorick is an actor and lyricist, best known as a Broadway lyricist and for his work portraying Jack Flanders, a character in an ongoing series of ZBS Foundation audio adventures. In 1972, he made his debut as a lyricist with the Off-Broadway musical Hark! at the Mercer-O'Casey Theatre... - Nani - Phoebe Moon
- Nina - Gy Munoz
- Madame Zee - Virginia Rambal
- Narrator - Kirby Airs
Part One
- Leela - Ana Veronica Munoz
- Sir Henry Jowls - Bill Hufnagle
Part Two
- Leela - Gloria Leyva
- Sir Henry Jowls - Art Fairbain
Crew
- Director - Thomas LopezThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
(aka Meatball Fulton) - Music - Tim Clark
- Script - Thomas LopezThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
- Graphics - Jaye Oliver
- Illustration - Greg Tucker
Voices recorded at BackPocket Studios in New York City. Production mixed at ZBS Froggy Acres.
This project was funded by the Friends and Fans of ZBS and special thanks to John Romkey.