The Devil will shake up Lynn

LYNN – Mention “rock opera” and you immediately think of the Who?s “Tommy,” or Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice?s “Jesus Christ, Superstar” of “Evita.”Friday, in Lynn, will see the presentation of another rock opera. And this show has very deep Lynn and North Shore roots.It?s “The Devil and Billy Shake,” and it will run for one night at City Hall Auditorium (doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets remain). It is a tale of good vs. evil, with a collection of original rock songs to tell the story.Its writers, Saugus native George Simpson and Lynner Brian Maes, have been trying to make the show “Broadway ready” in the literal sense, and the one they?re presenting Friday is the latest iteration of it. Toward that end, Simpson and Maes have met with Broadway backers to polish it up.There is plenty of Lynn talent in this version, as well as other North Shore artists. And when the theater experts in New York told Simpson and Maes that the audience needed more back story, they turned to Lynn graphic designer Emmanuelle Le Gal for help.Le Gal, who is a native of Brittany, France, started a partnership with her husband and Dreamworld Productions, a recording studio, that became Dreamworld Productions and Design. Her son and Maes? daughter attend school together. She put her Massachusetts College of Art degree to good use, creating “The Devil and Billy Shake” logo and drawing posters for the initial production.As the show has developed, arts plays a bigger role. Friday?s production will include 12 original paintings to tell the story of Billy Shake?s early years.?I had never done anything like this before and wanted to be truthful to the story and to the characters,” Le Gal said. “Brian and I worked back and forth on these scenes to make sure that the audience could be emotionally engaged and captivated by the characters before the show starts.”Maes is a well-known local musician, but he?s also a classically trained pianist from Berklee College of Music. He also wrote two new songs specifically for the character he portrays: Billy Shake, and his life on earth.Maes? wife is also in the play in the lead female role “Princess Shrill,” and her part has been expanded with new songs and a new plot twist. “Princess Shrill” is the head of the Demonettes, who cater to the devil, Dr. Spark.?She now shows a softer side, but she is still a tough cookie,” Marybeth Maes said. “I believe one of the new songs shows a really fun side of her – not revealed in the previous shows – which enhances her camaraderie with the Demonettes.”The production also has a new devil because George Simpson, the writer, stepped down from the role. Kim Patrizzi, a jack of all trades for The Devil and Billy Shake production since the beginning, was called in again to shape the character as she had the previous characters.The owner of Kim?s Barber Shop in Lynn, she not only acts but cuts the actors? and actresses? hair and trims beards, when needed, and does the makeup and costuming for the production. Her devil is adorned with a flame-inspired beard.Patrizzi was a student director and did makeup and costuming at Lynn Classical. She portrayed creepy characters in “A Christmas Carol” and “Oliver,” which prepared her for this role, she says.Friday?s production has more sets, backdrops and stage complications, and a proficient stage manager was needed. And Dave Simmons, with a strong North Shore background (including Lynn) stepped up.Simmons first got involved in performing by playing guitar with his band Pilayella at the SeaBreeze Concert Series at Lynn Heritage State Park in the mid-1990s. He also worked with LynnArts to help plan and run the annual Meet Me Downtown Festival of the Arts in Central Square and Monster Day at Lynn Heritage State Park. He has done sound design for several Arts After Hours shows at the Rantoul Vault Theater at LynnArts.He and Maes go back to high school, so when Brian needed a stage manager for the first debut at Arts After Hours, Dave stepped in and has cont