FAT FRIENDS (MUSICAL)

The Americanized Version

Marisa was hired to "Americanize"  Kay Mellor's British Musical FAT FRIENDS. Kay is responsible for launching the career of James Cordon and died suddenly in 2022 of an aneurysm.  

From Marisa: "I have an amazing story about Kay. I was watching her show GIRLFRIENDS on PBS and I kept thinking; I could write that! So I wrote to Kay, told her how much I loved the show and that I could definitely write an episode if she ever needed a writer. I also sent her a play or mine, SEX AND OTHER DISTURBANCES. Her assistant Rosie wrote back a few weeks later and said that Kay liked my work but that GIRLFRIENDS was wrapped; there would be no more episodes. But months later, Rosie emailed me again and asked if I'd be interested in Americanizing a musical Kay wrote called FAT FRIENDS. Of course I said yes! Kay came to NYC with her daughter, the actress Gaynor Mellor, and the three of us sat down at my dining room table in the city and plugged away at the script. I got a chance to explain all the oddities of American English and to learn about fun Britishisms. The three of us had a terrific time and shared many laughs. Kay was indefatigable and always the last one to finish--Gaynor and I had to tell her that we had to stop and EAT. I loved working with both of them and I will always be grateful that Kay took a chance on an unknown American who emailed her out of the blue. Her passing when she was so young and had so much more to do is a a tremendous loss for her family and the entertainment world.  R.I.P KAY."