Men Of Tortuga

Despite the closing of Pasadena Playhouse, Furious Theatre Company has made arrangements to remain upstairs in the Carrie Hamilton Theatre for now and open the West Coast Premiere of Men Of Tortuga by Jason Wells one week later than originally planned. Men Of Tortuga will now preview on Wednesday, February 24; Thursday, February 25 and Friday, February 26 at 8 p.m. with a new opening date of Saturday, February 27 at 8 p.m. and run through Sunday, March 28 at the home of Furious Theatre Company, the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave. in Pasadena.

"We've been heartened by the outpouring of goodwill from the arts community" Furious Theatre Company General Manager and Ensemble member Nick Cernoch said. "The closing of Pasadena Playhouse will no doubt dramatically change our future and we are exploring all possibilities for the short and long term life of our company. Now more than ever we'll need the support of our fans and all theatre lovers out there to help us keep growing and to produce the rest of our 2010 season. We will have exciting news in the coming month regarding a location for the Los Angeles premiere of boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and plans for the World Premiere of Matt Pelfrey's NogoodDeed. Southern California audiences have come to expect a unique "furious" experience from us and despite this game-changing challenge, our ensemble will keep working to deliver."

Men of Tortuga deals with three power-brokers scheme with a weapons specialist to assassinate a despised opponent... Too bad they're all such incompetents. The bungling only gets worse as Maxwell, the senior power-broker, takes a young idealist under his wing. Suddenly his long-dormant conscience begins to reawaken and he must decide whether the ends justify their means.  This comedic thriller discloses a sharp parable that takes a crack at the nastiness of covert governmental and corporate operations.  

The critically-acclaimed Furious Theatre Company are artists in residence at the Pasadena Playhouse committed to edgy, innovative and original works. The company debuted in April 2002 after they were generously granted the use of a 9,000 square foot section of Armory Northwest, a former plastics factory. The company converted the raw warehouse into an alternative performance space. Risers were constructed, the lighting grid hung and stage curtains built, all by the ensemble.  In that converted warehouse, they rapidly produced five plays in 12 months.  These productions earned 6 NAACP Theatre Award nominations, two LA Weekly Award nominations and numerous critics' picks from the Los Angeles media. The company also received the Pasadena Arts Council's Gold Crown Award and The Debut Award from Back Stage West. In September 2003, the City of Pasadena reclaimed the Armory Northwest and Furious needed to move. After a 13-month search, the Pasadena Playhouse granted Furious a residency at its Balcony Theatre (later renamed the Carrie Hamilton Theatre), the Playhouse's 99-seat second stage. 

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.furioustheatre.org. For more info call 626-792-7116.  Single ticket prices are $32; Students $10 rush; Previews are $15.