The Birthday Party: A Theatrical Catastrophe at The Matrix

The Birthday Party: A Theatrical Catastrophe

The Matrix
7657 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles

In 2014 the Geffen Playhouse decided to produce Harold Pinter's first great play The Birthday Party. They assembled a star studded cast and an Oscar winning director. Ticket sales were through the roof. Expectation for the production was high. What ended up happening is unbelievable, outrageous - and totally true. You may think you know the whole story...but you don't. Hear all the backstage secrets from an actor who was part of that cast - and a witness to the entire theatrical disaster.

Presented by Rogue Machine

Thru - Apr 8, 2024

Mondays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 5:00pm

Sundays: 5:00pm

Show Type: Comedy

Box Office: 323-852-1445

www.roguemachinetheatre.org/birthday-party

The Birthday Party: A Theatrical Catastrophe Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Los Angeles Times - Recommended

"...In a talk-back at the end of the show, Ullett admitted that he quite liked Berkoff, ornery though he was, and that he respected Friedkin's stature as one of the great film directors. Randall Arney, the Geffen Playhouse's artistic director at the time, comes in for some criticism - confirming my original take on the situation. But there's no score-settling malice here. Underlying this anatomy of a train wreck is a thespian's indestructible love of the madness of theater."

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- Charles McNulty

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...He’s funny. He’s avuncular. He’s unpretentious. He’s loveable. He’s dry and urbane. And, he’s a decent person. But Nick Ullett is an actor by trade, so you may wonder if he’s that decent offstage (hint: he is). Upstairs at The Matrix Theatre, all you’ll want to do is invite him to your next dinner party, where he’ll gently regale us with inside information about something that has become theater lore. He stands on the Henry Murray Stage — which, without a set, is basically a tiny room — because he has a one-hour story to tell. Ullet, who starred with wife Jenny O’Hara in Bakersfield Mist at the Fountain, first sets us up by going back to the beginning, at least the part where he travels across the Pond with his comedy-mate and starts to get seen in The States. I could’ve listened to just that part — ya know, opening for Lenny Bruce — all night. But Ullett has another story to tell."

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- Tony Frankel

LA Splash - Highly Recommended

"...Director Lisa James helms the production seamlessly while the hilarious and droll Nick Ullett dishes the dirt. To Ullett's credit, he takes the time to name names, offer bios and witty personal observations, and place people into the tale with an eye towards an audience that may not be in show biz themselves. This is an inside story about theater which everyone can understand, enjoy, and laugh about. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY: A THEATRICAL CATASTROPHE is a must-see production which will entertain, amuse, and fascinate."

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- Elaine Mura

ArtsBeatLA - Recommended

"...Nicely directed by Lisa James, the show runs about 60 minutes, with a question and answer session afterwards, and the run time is perfect. As enjoyable as it is, The Birthday Party: A Theatrical Catastrophe feels like it’s pitched at a theater-savvy audience and the whole saga feels a little too dependent upon insider details. It helps if you’re familiar with the main players and can imagine each of them, although Ullett does a fantastic job of describing a vivid picture, and explaining who is who for those unfamiliar with formidable actor/author Steven Berkoff or Randall Arney (artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse from 1999-2017)."

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- Pauline Adamek

Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended

"...Imagine an L.A. based production of Harold Pinter’s classic The Birthday Party with an Oscar-winning film director at the helm and a couple of movie stars in leading roles. When writer/performer Nick Ullett chose to develop a one-person show about the unraveling of that production in which he was cast, his wife, a fellow actor, begged him not to as it would kill his career. While the jury may still be out on career, Ullett’s shaggy dog tale has a wobbly workshop feel that is somewhat salvaged by his affable demeanor and proverbial British understatement."

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- Martin Hernandez

The Birthday Party: A Theatrical Catastrophe at The Matrix