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The Brass Teapot

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The Brass Teapot
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRamaa Mosley
Written byTim Macy
StarringJuno Temple
Michael Angarano
Alexis Bledel
Alia Shawkat
Bobby Moynihan
CinematographyPiotr Simonitski
Edited byRyan Folsey
Music byAndrew Hewitt
Distributed byMagnolia Pictures
Release dates
  • September 8, 2012 (2012-09-08) (Toronto International Film Festival)
  • April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05) (United States)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$413,733[1]

The Brass Teapot is a 2012 American fantasy comedy film directed by Ramaa Mosley.[2] The movie's script was written by Tim Macy, who also wrote the short story on which the movie is based.[3] The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2012, and was released into theaters and video on demand on April 5, 2013.[4] Development of a stage musical version, with book by Mosley and Macy and music by Chaz Cardigan, began in 2019 with producer and co-conceiver Erik Kaiko.[5] The musical had a reading in New York City as part of the 2024 National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival.[6]

Synopsis

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John and Alice are a down-on-their-luck couple who come across a magical brass teapot capable of providing them with money. The only catch is that they must experience pain in order for the teapot to provide. They must then decide what they are willing to do (and what they are willing to suffer through) in order to gain financial security.

Cast

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Reception

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The Brass Teapot garnered negative reviews from critics. It holds a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10.[7] The Film.com review said: "Despite the sometimes patchy moments The Brass Teapot by and large squeaks by as an enjoyable entertainment." The Playlist commented that: "With the help of a talented cast, The Brass Teapot is able to coast on charm."

HitFix writes: "It is apparent that Ramaa Mosley has a voice, and that The Brass Teapot is a focused, controlled piece of storytelling that displays real control". The Wall Street Journal said: "Alice and John are good company — especially Alice, thanks to Ms. Temple's buoyant humor and lovely poignancy. The problem comes when the couple gets greedy, the gods grow angry and the tone turns dark. It doesn't stay dark, but getting back to the brightness is a painful process."

Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times criticized the film, saying that while the two lead characters were interesting, the "movie's best bits lose out to the requisite moral turnaround".[8] Rob Hunter of Film School Rejects commented that the darker points of the film's story line were "ill fitting" in contrast with the predominantly "comically light and slapsticky" tone of the overall movie.[9] In contrast, Peter Debruge of Variety gave a more positive review for the film, saying that Mosely "makes her low-budget enterprise look as slick as most midrange studio comedies, demonstrating herself a director with both imagination and technical ingenuity."[10]

Musical Adaptation

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In 2019, the dramatic stage rights for the film were optioned by Brass Teapot Development LLC / producer Erik Kaiko, who had seen the film years prior.[11] Mosley and Macy wrote a first draft of the script adaptation, and the first draft of the score was completed by Cardigan in 2021.

Following an informal 2021 Zoom reading and a writing retreat in 2022, major structural changes were implemented, and further improvements were made. The piece was named a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center’s 2023 National Music Theater Conference, as well as the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University. The third complete draft was accepted into the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, produced by Kokandy Productions at Steppenwolf Theatre Company,[12] and NAMT’s 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals in 2024.[13]

A developmental production was staged by Los Angeles theatre company Firefly Theatre Group in May 2025.[14]

References

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  1. ^ All Time Worldwide Box Office
  2. ^ Rothman, Lily (April 5, 2013). "Q&A: The Brass Teapot's Juno Temple Talks Indie Movies and Black Magic". Time. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  3. ^ Olsen, Mark (September 14, 2012). "Magnolia Pictures turns up heat on 'The Brass Teapot'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Matheson, Whitney (April 22, 2013). "Now on demand: 'The Brass Teapot'". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  5. ^ https://www.thebrassteapotmusical.com/
  6. ^ "36th Annual Festival of New Musicals".
  7. ^ "The Brass Teapot (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  8. ^ Rapold, Nicolas (April 5, 2013). "Be Careful What You Wish For". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Hunter, Rob (April 5, 2013). "Review: 'The Brass Teapot' Occasionally Shines But Needs Another Polish". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  10. ^ Debruge, Peter (April 2, 2013). "Film Review: 'The Brass Teapot'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  11. ^ "2012 Movie THE BRASS TEAPOT Optioned to Become Stage Musical".
  12. ^ "Full Line-Up Set for Kokandy's CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL".
  13. ^ "Brass Teapot: A New Musical, the".
  14. ^ "Firefly Theatre".
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