SCENE IN LA
BY
STEVE ZALL AND SID FISH
September 2015
Summer is finally coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end, especially with all the great shows in our local theatres, such as:
OPENING
“From Her Eyes Only” Espionage fiction has certainly been a popular genre, particularly within the last fifty years. But spy stories are typically told entirely through the lens of the male perspective. The World’s Greatest Secret Agent Ever is known particularly for the spectacular female companions he keeps. What if the stories were told from the viewpoints of the women he loved and left? In this new show, the women who shared his adventures get their say about what really happened when they were with him. Written and directed by Derek Jeremiah Reid, it runs September 4 through September 25 at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica. For tickets call 310-392-7327 or visit www.edgemar.org.
“Sibling Rivalry” What do three guys in Maynard, Texas in 1975 have to do with two women in Providence, Rhode Island in 1993? Our siblings are our closest ties to our past, and the mirrors into our future. No matter how much we try to transform ourselves into the people we wish to be, our siblings are our shrewdest reminders of who we are and where we came from.
In “Lone Star” by James McLure, Roy has returned home from Vietnam to his wife, his 1959 pink Thunderbird convertible, and his kid brother, Ray. As he tries to acclimate himself to the people and places he knew so well, he finds that nothing can stay the same, and home might not be as comforting as he had hoped.
In “Rosemary with Ginger” by Edward Allen Baker, the Peter Pan Diner is finally closing its doors, and with them, a chapter of Ginger’s life. For as long as they can remember Ginger has been the rock to Rosemary’s wind. Now they are forced to ask the questions: can we learn how to be better people or will we kill each other trying?
Both plays are directed by Troy Ruptash, it runs September 5 through September 27 at the Lounge Theatre 2 in Los Angeles. For tickets visit www.plays411.com/siblingrivalry.
“When Stars Align” The Civil War begins and American society is forever changed. Seeds of hope are taking hold in the hearts of a boy and a girl determined to be more than just friends, and a household that was built on unwavering tradition is caught in the maelstrom. A sensory feast unfolds, as stars align for the birth of a new equality and for two people fighting for a future together. Written by Carol Eglash-Kossoff and John Henry Davis, and directed by John Henry Davis, it runs September 5 through October 4 at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets call 323-960-7738 or visit www.Plays411.net.
“Real Women Have Curves” Set in a tiny sewing factory in East LA, this award-winning comedy tells the story of five full-figured women racing to meet an impossible deadline to keep their sewing factory from going under. The basis for the award-winning film of the same name starring America Ferrera, it celebrates real bodies, life in southern California, and the incredible bond when women work together. Written by Josefina López, and directed by Seema Sueko, it runs September 8 through October 4 at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena. For tickets call 626-356-7529 or visit www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org.
“American Falls” A kind of modern day Our Town, American Falls is a poetic and sensuous interplay of stories and monologues that exposes the inner life of everyday people desperately seeking meaning and love. From a broken-hearted ghost to a Native American storyteller with an extensive pop culture lexicon and psychic powers that can be traced to his shoes, American Falls asks enduring, unanswerable questions: What is it to live? What becomes of the child on the mysterious road to adulthood? What is it like to grow old? What does it mean to die? Written by Miki Johnson, and directed by Chris Fields, it runs September 11 through October 18 at the Atwater Village Theatre in Atwater Village. For tickets call 310-307-3753 or visit www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.
“The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” Upstate New York is enduring its worst blizzard in decades. A group of theatre artists (actors, director, musical director, composer, writer and lyricist) are gathered at the home of a wealthy patron for a backer’s audition of a new musical, White House Merry-Go-Round. But sinister doings are afoot. One of their number is the infamous Stage Door Slasher, whose homicidal activities lowered the curtain on a previous musical. To make matters worse, he (or she) may not be the only villain in the bunch; there may be a second criminal loose with a separate, murderous agenda. The blizzard has everyone trapped inside the rich woman’s home. As death begins to strike, the phone lines are down, and there is no way to call for help. Written by John Bishop, and directed by Michael Van Duzer, it runs September 11 through October 18 at the Theatre West in Los Angeles. For tickets call 323-851-7977 or visit www.theatrewest.org.
“One Man, Two Guvnors” is a comedy of mistaken identity. Francis, a failed washboard musician with an insatiable appetite, has to keep his two jobs secret from his two bosses…and they’re hiding a few secrets of their own. Set in swinging ‘60s England, to the tune of a live band, anything can happen (and probably will) in this hilarious show. Written by Richard Bean, with music by Grant Olding, and directed by David Ivers, it runs September 11 through October 11 at the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. For tickets call 714-708-5555 or visit www.scr.org.
“Ravenscroft” is a stylish, witty mystery-thriller in which a detective investigates a murder at an English country estate inhabited by five intriguing women and finds that he is caught in a web of deceit and lies. He learns that everyone is a suspect; everyone has a motive! The mystery unfolds with comical twists and turns until the unpredictable ending reveals all. Written by Don Nigro, and directed by Sheridan Cole Crawford, it runs September 11 through October 17 at the Westchester Playhouse in Westchester. For tickets call 310-645-5156 or visit www.kentwoodplayers.org.
“Shakespeare’s Last Night Out” Michael Shaw Fisher returns, depicting William Shakespeare on the night before his death, going out for a drink (or more). Shakespeare reflects on his hardscrabble origins, his eventual success, his stormy marriage, his children, the loss of his son, his extramarital temptations, his plays, his predictions of challenges to the authorship of his works. And he sums up, as Shakespeare sings! Written by Michael Shaw Fisher, with music by Gordon Wimpress and Allison Sulock, and directed by Jeff Sumner, it runs September 11 through November 1 at the Three Clubs Lounge in Los Angeles. For tickets call 800-838-3006 Ext. 1 or visit Shakespearemusical.brownpapertickets.com.
“Wombat Man: The Cereal Murders” A loving comedy tribute to the Adam West Batman TV series (and all Batmans everywhere), Wombat Man: The Cereal Murders is a campy, colorful, kid’s show for adults. Follow the fur-coated caped marsupial, Wombat Man, as he fights to defend Slothum City from the evil Trix the Rabbit who will stop at nothing to get his fruity tasting Trix cereal. Trix, fed up from his years of ridicule and torture at the hands of selfish children, finally snaps, leaving behind a wake of dead cereal icons. It is up to the always courageous (and often childish) Wombat Man to take down Trix and his gang of sick cereal stooges. Wombat Man throws punches and puns as he recruits a reluctant sidekick to join him in his crime fighting. Written and directed by Chrisi Talyn Saje, it runs September 11 through October 18 at the Eclectic Company Theatre in Valley Village. For tickets call 818-508-3003 or visit www.eclecticcompanytheatre.org.
“The Princes of Kings Road” True story: in 1953, iconic L.A. architects Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler, onetime friends and business partners who had been bitterly estranged for 23 years, found themselves, by a vagary of fate, occupying the same hospital room in Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. In his newest play, writer Tom Lazarus imagines what might have transpired during that reunion. The site-specific production takes place at the Neutra-designed offices that are now the Neutra Institute and Museum of Silverlake. Written and directed by Tom Lazarus, it runs September 12 through October 4 at the Neutra Institute and Museum of Silverlake in Silverlake. For tickets call 323-641-7747 or visit www.ThePrincesofKingsRoad.com.
“Welcome to My World” takes you into the world of a bright, funny, irreverent and iconoclastic young girl named Molly, who has her own very unique way of looking at things and life. Through a series of monologues and songs, we learn all about what makes her tick, what her views are on any number of topics, and how she navigates herself through the sometimes-tortuous territory that is teen life. Written and directed by Bruce Kimmel, with music by Bruce Kimmel, it runs September 12 through September 27 at the Grove Theatre Center in Burbank. For tickets call 323-960-7787 or visit www.plays411.com/world.
“No Exit” The play is set in Hell, but rather than the traditional lake of fire with devils and demons, it is a single room in which three characters, Joseph, Inez and Estelle are confined. At first reticent to discuss how they got there, each of the three ultimately gets around to confessing what they did to result in their present predicament. Inez wants to seduce Estelle. Estelle wants to seduce Joseph (who else is there?). Joseph seems to mostly want to be left alone. It soon becomes evident that they were placed there to make each other miserable, for the rest of eternity. What, however, would happen if they were suddenly presented with a way out of Hell? What would they do then? Written by Jean Paul Sartre, and directed by Kent Minault, it runs September 17 through November 1 at the Oh My Ribs Theatre in Hollywood. For tickets call 818-765-8732 or visit www.interactla.org.
“In Love and Warcraft” Evie is a gamer girl, college senior and confirmed virgin who has it all figured out. Not only does she command a top-ranked guild in World of Warcraft with her online boyfriend, she also makes a little cash on the side writing love letters for people who've screwed things up with their In Real Life (IRL) partners. Love is like Warcraft, after all. It's all about strategies, game plans, and not taking stupid risks ... or is it? Written by Madhuri Shekar, and directed by Alejandra Cisneros, it runs September 19 through October 11 at the Los Angeles Theater Center in Los Angeles. For tickets call 866-811-4111 or visit www.thelatc.org.
“Dracula” Madness sexuality and power explode onto the stage in this new deranged and horror-filled adaption of Dracula. Renfield fights for her sexual freedom, Lucy struggles against her mother's expectations and her own growing hysteria, and Mina Murray is left standing alone in the wreckage of the19th century facing the man offering her both liberation and death. Written by Jayce Johnson, with music by Haunted Ghost, and directed by Sophia Watt, it runs September 25 through November 1 at the Theatre 68 @ NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood. For tickets call 323-960-5068 or visit www.plays411.com/dracula.
“Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse” Pete Carter describes the project as "Rocky Horror" meets "Pee Wee's Playhouse". An intimate black box theater experience that is guaranteed to bring Halloween magic & nostalgia to all who dare to enter. Ghoulmaster is an eccentric, reclusive showman who chooses to live his fantasy life as if he were horror royalty. He is like the love child of Elvira and an 80's pop star Dracula. His main goal is to stimulate all of the senses of his Playhouse guests. Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse features original music, dance, comedy, magic, blood, puppets, cobwebs, g-strings and glitter. It’s a month long costume party. All Playhouse guests are encouraged to dress to depress. Wear your Sunday's worst and each night the most devastating guest will take home a free exclusive Haunted Playhouse T-shirt! Written and directed by Pete Carter, it runs September 25 through October 31 at the Hudson Theatre Mainstage in Los Angeles. For tickets call 323-960-7724 or visit www.plays411/ghoulmaster.
“A Picasso” The curtain rises. We are in Paris, 1941. A screen projects black and white images of old Parisian streets on the Left Bank. The rue des Grands-Augustins, Picasso’s studio, and his favorite hangout, Le Catalan Café, come to the forefront. The romance is contrasted by the sound of marching boots and the reality of the German Occupation. The boots invade our set, an underground vault. Lights up! Our hero, Pablo Picasso, is thrown in! Sex, Art, Politics, Nazis, and a classy 20th century icon are all wrapped up into an intense, confrontational drama with sensitivity and wit. Mademoiselle Fischer, a beautiful, “cultural attaché”, from Berlin has arrested Picasso. She needs him to authenticate three of his pieces, recently “confiscated”, by the Nazis from their Jewish owners, for inclusion in a “degenerate art show”, curated by Joseph Goebbles. Picasso does, whereupon he learns that the works will be destroyed in a bonfire! Written by Jeffrey Hatcher, and directed by Steven Ullman and Natalia Lazarus, it runs September 25 through October 4 at the Promenade Playhouse in Santa Monica. For tickets visit www.eventbrite.com/e/a-picasso-a-powerful-political-drama-about-art-at-the-promenade-playhouse-tickets-18125105679.
“Awake and Sing!” Clifford Odets' gritty, passionate, funny and heartbreaking masterpiece about the hopes and struggles of a lower middle class, three-generation Jewish family living in a Bronx apartment during the Great Depression continues to resonate 80 years after its 1935 premiere. Director Elina de Santos and lead actress Marilyn Fox return with a 20th anniversary revival of the smash Odyssey Theatre production that ran for nine months in 1994-95. Written by Clifford Odets, and directed by Elina de Santos, it runs September 26 through November 29 at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets call 310-477-2055 Ext. 2 or visit www.OdysseyTheatre.com.
“Man Covets Bird” What are the songs of birds and men? The U.S. premiere of Finegan Kruckemeyer’s internationally acclaimed tale of friendship is an irresistible mix of storytelling, live music and animation that will enchant kids — and deeply touch adults. To be shared by parents and kids ages 7 and up. Written by Finegan Kruckemeyer, and directed by Debbie Devine, it runs September 26 through November 22 at the 24th Street Theatre in Los Angeles. For tickets call 213-745-6516 or visit www.24thstreet.org.
“Lobby Hero” is a modern-morality tale set in a Manhattan high-rise apartment lobby. When a horrific murder is committed, a hapless young security guard, his straight-laced supervisor, a veteran police officer and his feisty rookie partner are all challenged "to do the right thing"—if only they could figure out what the "right thing" is. A hit of the 2001 off-Broadway season, “Lobby Hero” has a certain timeliness in its examination of the grey areas surrounding police, race, crime and sex. But, more importantly, there is a fantastic timeless-ness too, in the moral quagmire of right and wrong in which these characters find themselves. Written by Kenneth Lonergan, and directed by Joe Palese, it runs September 30 through November 5 at the Theatre 68 @ NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood. For tickets www.plays411.com/lobbyhero.
CONTINUING
“Isaac Babel and the Black Sea” is a fictionalized look at the contradictions, the mysteries, and the beauty of the life of the famous Soviet writer Isaac Babel, as he struggles to find his way in the Stalin-era Soviet Union. Written and directed by Tim McNeil, it runs through September 13 at the Studio B Stage @ Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood. For tickets visit www.labtheatre.bpt.me.
“Seatbelts Required” Three sisters. Agnes, Janet and Maggie, return to the house in which they grew up following their mother’s funeral. More accurately, the three young women are half-sisters, each of them having had a different father. Mom, as it turns out, got around, and also liked to hit the sauce on occasion. The three daughters, as siblings sometimes do, have engaged in sibling rivalry, and this only appears to intensify in the wake of their mother’s death. Mom did not treat them equally during life, and played favorites. In death, she has left each of them letters, and considering how she’s been to them, the women find her parting notes to be somewhat suspect in their content and intent. Together in their childhood home, the three young women, who have not been close, engage in a day of truth telling (aided by a bottle of tequila). Long-buried secrets are at last revealed. Is it still possible for the three ladies to become true sisters at last? Written by Kimberly Demmary, and directed by Julie Fergus, it runs through September 19 at the Primitive Stage in Woodland Hills. For tickets call 818-685-9907 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2069297.
“Sondheim UnScripted” Impro Theatre’s Sondheim UnScripted is a completely improvised musical in the style of one of Broadway’s most acclaimed artists, Stephen Sondheim. The cast and musicians work together as an ensemble to improvise songs with the intricate rhymes, soaring counter melodies, and complex themes that are all hallmarks of Sondheim’s work, creating a wholly original, thrilling musical with every performance. Directed by Dan O'Connor and Michele Spears, it runs through September 27 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank. For tickets call 818-955-8101 or visit www.FalconTheatre.com.
Let the good times roll with a show tonight!
