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Take a journey through the life, loves and laughter of the world's most beloved Yiddish humorist, as you are treated to an in-depth look at the foolish philosophers, philosophical fools, comical shtetl folk and not-so-comical scoundrels that populated Sholom Aleichem's real and fantasy worlds. Aleichem Sholom, this bold and bittersweet, raucous and romantic musical comedy celebrates the great man's 102nd Yahrzeit, journeying through his loves and losses, the controversy surrounding his stories and plays, his fame and his failures, his passionate involvement in the creation of a new homeland, his travels, his travails and the tremendous joy and optimism that kept him going against all odds, and touched the hearts of millions of audiences and readers across the globe. The new musical, performed in English with just a taste of Yiddish, stars veteran performer Chris DeCarlo, who once again assays the role of the beloved author, a characterization which has been enjoyed by more than a quarter of a million audience members, and Evelyn Rudie, who has created and portrayed more than three dozen Sholom Aleichem characters in over two thousand performances to date.
When Della, a North Carolina baker and devout Christian, is asked to bake a wedding cake for her best friend's daughter, she is overjoyed. But that joy is short-lived when she learns that the intended is another bride and realizes she is faced with an agonizing choice between faith and family. Struggling to reconcile her deeply-held belief in "traditional marriage" and the love she has for the woman she helped raise, Della finds herself in strange new territory. Inspired by a story still in the headlines, this marvelously funny new play by Bekah Brunstetter (This Is Us) is proof that love is the key ingredient in creating common ground. That '70s Show matriarch Debra Jo Rupp returns to the role of Della as The Echo Theater Company's production of The Cake takes the stage at L.A.'s Geffen Playhouse.
Dorian Gray is one of literature's most famous narcissists -- a man who believes that beauty is the only worthwhile pursuit in life, which drives him to sell his soul in order to preserve his youthful looks forever. In this haunting and seductive adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic novella, Gray descends into a debaucherous world of self-indulgent pleasure -- one which eventually draws everyone around him to ruin as well. This mature and adult-themed production of A Picture of Dorian Gray comes to A Noise Within in Pasadena.
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 recounts an astounding moment in history when Allied and German soldiers laid down their arms to celebrate Christmas together, sharing food and drink, playing soccer, singing carols and burying each other’s dead. In some places along the Western Front the truce lasted a single night, and in others it endured until New Year’s Day. This dramatic re-telling at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica weaves together firsthand accounts by 30 World War I soldiers with music including patriotic tunes, trench songs and Christmas carols.
Hailed as a "brilliant comedy with cutting social satire" (Variety), Bess Wohl's super-sized dark comedy about life, liberty and the pursuit of sandwiches now comes to the Carrie Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse. American Hero takes place at a newly-franchised sub shop at the local mall. There, three up-and-coming "sandwich artists" -- a teenager, a single mom and a downsized corporate banker -- are perfecting the mustard-to-cheese ratio according to the company manual. But when their shot at the American dream is interrupted by a series of peculiar events, they become unlikely allies in a post-recession world. Even as corporate America gives up on them, they band together to prove that heroes aren't born, they're made ... fresh to order on your choice of bread.
The 15th anniversary Los Angeles production of Avenue Q comes to the Cupcake Theater's new location in North Hollywood. Full of humor and hummable tunes, the massively popular Avenue Q is a hilarious look at life in New York, featuring a fantastic cast of people and puppets. In its Broadway debut, Avenue Q scored the "Triple Crown" of Tony wins, grabbing honors for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. The lovable cast of characters, both flesh and felt, includes recent college grad Princeton, who moves to Avenue Q full of hope for the future, Kate (the girl-monster next door), and the colorful collection of neighbors who help Princeton discover his true purpose in life.
Experience the thrill of London's most spectacular musical as Bat Out of Hell (Winner of Best Musical at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards) brings to life the legendary anthems of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, in a critically acclaimed production that combines the magic of a musical, with the immense energy of rock 'n' roll. Join Strat, the forever young leader of rebellious gang 'The Lost', as he falls in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler of post-apocalyptic Obsidian. Featuring Meat Loaf's iconic hits including "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)", "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" and "Paradise By The Dashboard Light," "this is a musical production like no other" (The Upcoming). Score tickets with this pre-sale offer, and see it live at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
The only show where boos are encouraged… For the first time ever, The Groundlings Theatre is taking sketch comedy to scary proportions with it’s all new Halloween-themed comedy show. Featuring smoke effects, strobe lights, loud noises, gratuitous blood, tasteful gore, creepy clowns, unconscionable wig usage and an appropriate amount of severed body parts, this show will have you howling at the moon with laughter. May cause itchy spine, tingly fingers, Delapsus Resurgam (Fear of Comedy) and symptoms of uncontrollable bladder. Viewer discretion is advised.
From Grammy-, Emmy- and Academy Award-winning actor Steven Martin and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Edie Brickell comes Bright Star, the five-time Tony-nominated Broadway musical that The New York Times called a "shining achievement." This sweeping tale of love and redemption, set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and '40s, unfolds as a rich tapestry of deep emotion, beautiful melodies and powerfully moving performances. Grab your Goldstar pre-sale tickets and prepare to be swept away when Musical Theatre West brings this touching musical to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.
C.S. Lewis is most famous for writing the bestselling The Chronicles of Narnia fantasy series, but he was also well-known for his personal and public transition from non-believer to devout Christian. The one-man play The Most Reluctant Convert, adapted from Lewis' own thoughts and writings on the experience, stars award-winning actor Max McLean, who portrays the author as he endures the death of his mother, works through his complicated relationship with his father and walks the path from staunch atheist to one of the most influential Christian intellectuals of his day. After successful runs in New York, DC and Chicago, see the philosophical exploration the Chicago Sun-Times called "bristling, provocative, highly entertaining," when C.S. Lewis Onstage brings one of the past century's most interesting personalities to life at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza's Fred Kavli Theatre. This performance is recommended for those ages 13 and older.
A world premiere of a musicalized, modernized, feminized, Americanized update of Charles Dickens' beloved classic Christmas Carol comes to NoHo's Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre. This contemporary scrooge (Carol) is a woman who is a successful, driven, demanding, eccentric home-shopping network maven. Her indispensable, long-suffering, overworked assistant is also a woman. And "Tiny Tim" is a girl named Trina. This refreshing update on this holiday favorite is funny, charming and surprisingly relevant and boasts all new songs by award-winning songwriter/producer Bruce Kimmel.
Tony Award-winning actor Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) breathes new life into the greatest ghost story ever told. While the heart of A Christmas Carol is timeless, Mays brings fresh perspective to Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and the rest, playing every role in this whirlwind one-man show. Tony Award-nominated director Michael Arden (Once On This Island, Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening) creates a wildly theatrical and spectacular experience. This world-premiere adaptation of a beloved story of redemption offers an early—and unexpected—start to the holiday season.
Scrooge and the gang are back in A Noise Within's delightfully festive, musically merry holiday tradition. Adapted by the company's own Geoff Elliott, this Pasadena production of Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol has become a Southland fave for the entire family. As the Los Angeles Times says, "Only a die-hard humbug could remain unmoved by so charming a yuletide treat." Experience the magical journey of everyone's favorite surly miser as visits from Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future crack open his cold heart. Stick around after the show for selfies with the cast.
Set in London during World War II, renowned choreographer Matthew Bourne reinterprets this classic fairy tale as a war-time romance. A chance meeting results in a magical night for Cinderella and a dashing young pilot, together just long enough to fall in love before being parted by the horrors of the Blitz. A thrilling and evocative love story featuring sumptuous designs by Olivier Award-winning Lez Brotherston designs and lighting by Olivier Award-winning Neil Austin, this dazzling production of Cinderella takes you into the heart of Prokofiev's magnificent score, and the sights and sounds of war-torn London at the Ahmanson.
In Martyna Majok’s gripping and unexpectedly funny play, John is a rich, quick-witted grad student who has cerebral palsy. Ani is an hilariously foul-mouthed quadriplegic. The people who help them, Jess and Eddie, have their own struggles to contend with. Cost of Living is a haunting, rigorously unsentimental play about the forces that bring people together and the realities of facing the world with physical disabilities. Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize, as well as the Edgerton New Play Prize; the Jean Kennedy Smith Prize, John F. Kennedy Center; the Women's Invitational Prize, Ashland New Play Festival; the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding New Play; and named one of the “Best Plays of 2017” by The New York Times.
A dark comedy about life and crime in America's contemporary West, Desert Rats tells the story of estranged brothers Frank and Jesse, who reunite to plan a kidnapping in a squalid motel room on a hellish day in Barstow. When day turns into night and their hostage is brought out of the trunk, the siblings find their troubles have just begun. Find out what happens next at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.
The Groundlings Sunday Company puts forth new sketches every week in its hilarious show Desperately Seeking Sunday. It's a fun cast brimming with new talent from the top level of L.A.'s Groundlings School.
Take a hilarious hit movie, add in some seriously impressive song-and-dance numbers, tie a big Broadway bow around it and you've got the sweet family treat known as Elf the Musical. Fasten your sleigh belts for a fun ride that follows the story of Buddy, a little boy who mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. He grows up unaware that he's an actual human, but his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities eventually force him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy takes off on a journey to New York to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help the city remember the true meaning of Christmas. Enjoy this sparkling holiday show at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. This show is considered PG.
Fresh off its Tony-nominated Broadway revival, Falsettos arrives at the Ahmanson in L.A. as "an exceptional production of a perfect musical" (The New York Times). The story revolves around a charming, intelligent, neurotic gay man named Marvin, his wife, his lover, his about-to-be-Bar-Mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door. At times both hilarious and achingly poignant, Falsettos shines an ahead-of-its-time spotlight on the infinite possibilities that make up a modern family ... and a beautiful reminder that love can tell a million stories. A hit when it premiered on Broadway in 1992, this always-timely show won Tony Awards for its book by James Lapine and William Finn (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and its score, also by Finn. Recommended for ages 13+ for mature themes and language.
Do you love brunch? Do you sometimes wish you could marry two of your favorite things -- food and burlesque dancers? Cherry Poppins Productions is proud to join Lili St. Byr and Ginger Lee Belle in a fearsome squad for their newest food-themed burlesque show Foodies & Boobies! Join some of L.A.'s hottest burlesque dancers for this messy and delicious burlesque extravaganza at El Cid in Los Angeles. Brunch is available for purchase.
A razor-sharp, darkly comic drama about ambition, office warfare and pecking orders. In this explosive Pulitzer Prize finalist by MacArthur “genius” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the only thing that matters is style, status and selling out to the highest bidder.
Force of Nature Productions presents the World Premiere of Kerry Kazmierowicztrimm's GRAY PEOPLE. GRAY PEOPLE tells a story of constantly shifting trust and loyalties as James, Jenny and Adam tensely await a late-night delivery in the woods...unsure what to believe about each other, and increasingly uncertain of their fate.
Magicopolis' long-running hit show Escape Reality: Halloween Edition gets a tweak to trick and treat you this Halloween, mystifying and entertaining audiences with a variety of magic acts. Husband-and-wife team Steve Spill and Bozena Wrobel serve up a vaudeville-style show, complete with disappearances, levitation, mind-reading, optical illusions, comedy and music, which climaxes with a nail-biting, Houdini-Inspired escape, The Table of Terror, featuring 39 sharpened steel spikes that present the ultimate challenge to the trapped magician that lies beneath. This dark night of thrills includes a black rose for everyone.
The 6th Act presents a HAMLET as we've never seen it before: Five actors of different races, genders, ages and sexual orientations will all play Hamlet for one act each in this new production that explores the universal nature of this singular character that still haunts and resonates within us all.
Enter an enchanting fairy tale world where 12-foot-tall creatures roam a fantastical forest as LA Opera presents a new production of Engelbert Humperdinck's beloved Hansel and Gretel. An opera as delicious as a gingerbread house -- and as magical as the witch who lives inside it -- Hansel and Gretel has delighted music lovers of all ages for over 100 years. With an English score that includes Humperdinck's "Evening Benediction" (Abendsegen) -- considered one of the most touching pieces of music ever composed for the stage -- this delightful take on the timeless opera is perfect for the whole family. See diva extraordinaire Susan Graham step into the wicked witch's pointy shoes at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The longest-running solo musical play in the USA, The Hebrew Hillbilly: Fifty Shades of Oy Vey! makes its way to the Santa Monica Playhouse. Raised in the Deep South, Shelley Fisher has had success as a jazz and blues vocalist and a recording artist in L.A., along with creating her own romantic-comedy cooking show, Forkplay. She even had a close encounter with The King, Elvis! Her tale is a heartwarming testament to the power of dreams, determination and finding purpose beyond the Hollywood sign. The Hebrew Hillbilly, her funny and moving musical celebration, features 17 original Memphis-inspired pop, blues and rock 'n' roll songs, which she penned with pop composers Harold Payne and Ken Hirsch. This show is recommended for ages 12 and older.
A holiday mash-up for the entire family, The Hip Hop Nutcracker is an internationally touring contemporary work set to Tchaikovsky's timeless music. The Hip Hop Nutcracker will feature MC Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop's founding fathers, opening the show with a short set before rapping the introduction. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber, The Hip Hop Nutcracker is a full-length production performed by a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers, DJ and an electric violinist. Through the spells cast by the mysterious Drosselmeyer, Maria-Clara and her prince, Myron, travel back in time to the moment when her parents first meet in a nightclub. Digital scenery transforms E.T.A. Hoffmann's story of a palace of sugarplums into a romance set in 1980s Brooklyn. The dance work celebrates love, community and the magic of New Year's Eve, and is coming to the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.
Actress, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen's fun, fresh spin on the classic holiday ballet returns to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center for the eighth year in a row. The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (a two-time Goldstar National Nutcracker Award winner) gives the seasonal favorite a rich new cultural context and updated characters, and features a lively contemporary score with original songs from multiple-Grammy-winner Mariah Carey and others. After young Kara receives a nutcracker filled with hot chocolate, she falls asleep and journeys to enchanted lands, including Candy Cane Lane, Egypt, the Rainforest, Jazzland, Russia and the Land of the Kimono Dolls. Great for all ages, little ones will have no trouble following along thanks to the narration by three wisecracking mice. This acclaimed production stars writer-director Debbie Allen, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Carlo Imperato, Tichina Arnold and more, plus performers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.
This guy's been amazing in more movies and TV shows than you can count, and won a pair of Tony Awards for his skillful, searing performances in the classic American tragedies Death of a Salesman and Long Day's Journey Into Night. Now Brian Dennehy is reprising two of his most memorable and acclaimed stage roles in a powerful double bill. Dennehy first inhabits high-rolling gambler Erie, whose luck has turned with the death of his best friend Hughie. Next, Dennehy becomes Krapp, Beckett's self-absorbed leading man, who records a tape documenting his year each birthday. On his 69th, he gets caught up in listening to his archives and experiences a lifetime of regret. Dennehy won raves for his appearances in this pair of plays at the Goodman in Chicago, and now he's bringing the show to the intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen in L.A.
I Am Charlie explores the question: Why is the Charlie meme chiseled in granite when other 20th Century memes (JFK, for example) are completely and continuously malleable? Most people will agree what was bizarre in 1969 would be old news in a few days and forgotten in a week. I Am Charlie is NOT the play you were expecting about Charles Manson. It looks at the Charles Manson story (Among other things) through the mind of Charlie himself.
Get ready to scream your heart out to I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Unauthorized Musical. This immersive musical love letter to the iconic slasher film written by Kevin Williamson is a perfect theatrical treat for this Halloween season. Step into the El Cid in Los Angeles and return to the cruel summer of 1997 in Southport, North Carolina -- back when Julie, Ray, Helen and Barry were out having fun, drinking, partying, running people over and getting away with murder. But when it becomes clear the truth is no longer six feet under, the friends quickly realize that it's not over until The Fisherman sings. Literally. Set to a playlist of '90s tunes from Eve 6, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Third Eye Blind, The Verve Pipe and more, I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Unauthorized Musical promises to be a blast.
In February 1923, audiences witnessed Broadway's first lesbian kiss at the English-language premiere of God of Vengeance, a play by Yiddish writer Sholem Asch. Days later, the NYPD Vice Squad arrested and prosecuted the entire cast on obscenity charges. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) turned this true story into the acclaimed Broadway production Indecent, which won Tony awards for lighting design and for direction by Rebecca Taichman. This critically adored play at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theatre confronts the challenges faced by new American immigrants as cultures clash and stoke the fires of prejudice. Don't miss this chance to experience Indecent's klezmer-inspired original score and find out why The New York Times called it "a superbly realized, remarkably powerful new play."
Dina Morrone returns to West Hollywood's Theatre West with The Italian in Me, an accelerated full-emersion Italian lesson about cinema, sex, saints and Federico Fellini. The play follows an innocent aspiring actress who moves from the U.S. to Rome in search of film fame. Things in the Eternal City are not as "Holy" or as romantic as she had imagined ... until she meets the Maestro himself, Fellini. This show is recommended for ages 14 and older.
The comedy-minded, think-on-your-feet masters of Impro Theatre turn their satirical sights to the works of Jane Austen in this spontaneous take on the author's love-struck girls, brooding noblemen and charming lads. Austen wrote only six novels, but they are some of the most beloved tales of love, misunderstanding, wit, wisdom, passion and betrayal ever told. Jane Austen Unscripted finds Impro Theatre's ensemble working from audience suggestions to create a new and different Austen-inspired play every night. Impro Theatre has had successful runs of its ad-libbed show in Los Angeles and San Francisco and are bringing it back this holiday season for a smash revival at The Broad Stage. For the full experience, come in costume and swap laughs with fellow Austen-heads.
There's a reason that Verdi's tragic romance La Traviata is one of the most popular operas on the planet. Of course, there's the music, with exquisite arias like "Sempre libera" and the mournful "Addio del passato." Then there's the bittersweet love story of the beautiful, pleasure-loving yet frail courtesan Violetta (played by soprano Adela Zaharia), who unexpectedly finds true (and ultimately tragic) love with a younger man. But above all, what sets La Traviata in a league of its own is its humanity and its heart. It's a truly timeless tale of moral hypocrisy and selfless sacrifice, and in the character of Violetta, Verdi has given us one of opera's most fascinating heroines, a woman of boundless humanity and emotional depth. Now LA Opera brings this iconic 1853 opera to the stage -- and you can get tickets first with this exclusive pre-sale.
A magical, musical and deeply personal work written and performed by Tony Award-winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues is a reminiscence of his 1950s childhood in a small town on the banks of Lake Erie. Santiago-Hudson takes on more than 20 colorful characters -- from would-be philosophers and petty hustlers to lost souls and abandoned lovers -- in a brilliant celebration of the eccentric boardinghouse in which he grew up. Santiago-Hudson returns to his roots in this tour de force performance with live blues music performed by composer Bill Sims Jr.
Wheeler just turned 50. His marriage is over, his job is mundane, and the best years of his life appear to be behind him. A move from the cot in his ex-wife's garage to his own apartment opens up new possibilities for love and sex -- complicated, painful and hilarious. Full of opinions, yet short on self-examination, Wheeler must reconcile the man he has become with the man he wants to be in this major new play from the writer of August: Osage County. In this Steppenwolf Theatre Company production, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Tracy Letts delivers a "male midlife crisis tragicomedy of epic proportions" (Chicago Sun Times) in this "smart, very funny, hugely entertaining play" (Daily Herald) that resonates with a new sense of sobriety in the wake of #MeToo. Coming to the stage in 2019 at the Mark Taper Forum.
Lillian Hellman's riveting drama puts the spotlight on a wealthy Southern family and the greed that ultimately tears them apart. The Hubbards are bound together by blood, but ripped apart by their own selfish desires. There's the manipulative, scheming Regina played by Mamie Gummer (True Detective Season 3, Emily Owens M.D.) as Regina, and her cruel, arrogant brothers who aren't content with the wealth they've already inherited from their father. They've got a plan to get their hands on even more money, but after years of neglect, Regina's dying husband is determined to see she gets nothing. It will take every ounce of her ruthless charm to outwit her relations and assure herself a gilded future.
In Members Only, the long-awaited sequel to the groundbreaking Blade to the Heat, 20 years have passed. It's 1982, in New York City: the golden age of boxing, the dying gasp of disco and the flowering of identity politics. Pedro Quinn is well past 40 and still fighting, not only for championships but for the right to be himself, on his own terms. He even has a protege, a young female boxer who reminds him of his own youthful fights in and out of the ring. But when a detached retina threatens to end the only life he knows, and when old frenemies Vinal and Sarita want to make a movie about the champion he killed in the ring 20 years ago, Quinn can no longer hide from the ghosts of his past. Nor can he protect those he loves from the specter of hatred, much less the oncoming onslaught of what will soon be named the AIDS virus. He can hide in plain sight no more, and his biggest fight is yet to come. A play about an America of color, forging racial and sexual identities to the pulsating beat of Willie Colon and Blondie, on the cusp of discovery, at the edge of a plague -- Members Only can be seen at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.
A group of strangers is stranded in a boarding house during a snow storm, one of whom is a murderer. Suspects include the newly married couple who run the house, a spinster with a curious background, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a retired Army major, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. Into their midst comes a policeman, traveling on skis. He probes the background of everyone present, and rattles a lot of skeletons. Another famous Agatha Christie switch finish!
Step into the merry old land of Oz before Dorothy arrived, when Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West were best friends! When these two unlikely friends meet at Oz High they find themselves in a situation which forces them to get to know and understand each other better. As their friendship and wizard powers grow stronger they learn of dark secrets happening in Oz. They decide to seek help from the Wizard himself to restore Oz and Munchkinland back to all it's goodness and glory. A Not So Wicked Mini Musical is an original one-hour mini-musical will have you engaged, singing and dancing the entire time at Pico Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Three aging clowns compete for a job in an absurdly comic look at man’s fear of uselessness in society. Inspired by a 1970 Federico Fellini film, theater and circus arts are intertwined in this tender, funny, cynical play by Romanian-French playwright Matei Visniec.
The beautiful 1920s art deco Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro plays host to Encore's production of Peter Pan, starring kids and adults ages 4 and older. Join the boy who never wants to grow up, along with his pals the Lost Boys and the mischievous fairy Tinkerbell, as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime and try to save Wendy, John and Michael from the menacing pirate Captain Hook. Based on the Cathy Rigby stage production, there's lots of high-flying fun to be had with Peter and his crew.
The time is right to see The Play That Goes Wrong, the Olivier Award-winning comedy that's a hilarious hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes. It's opening night of The Murder at Faversham Manor, and things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can't play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it's "a riotous explosion of comedy" (The Daily Beast) and "tons of fun for all ages" (Huffpost). Find out why Ben Brantley of The New York Times called the show "a gut-busting hit" with this Center Theatre Group production at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Plumbing Tree is a political science fiction that explores ideas of queer familial structures, polarizing political ideologies and social contagions. The play is told through the perspectives of an eccentric family plagued by dogma, and composed of three acts, each narrated by Miasma, the personification of a smell. What appears to be an episode of sibling rivalry as presented on a sitcom television show, gradually shatters into contagious pandemonium after the family is poisoned by methane gas from a plumbing disaster in their front lawn. In the flood of excrement, the family descends into a collective hallucination. Madness and despair gifts each member of the household with a lucidity that radically calls into question each of their world views. Medium Judith is a host for an interdisciplinary methodology for writing experimental theater works. The company originated in 2012 in Baltimore, MD with works composed by Bryan Collins and Amanda Horowitz. Their collaboration began as an urgent response to emergent political tools of the internet and their recombinant effects on power. Backdropped by this changing political landscape, they debuted Shy World (2013), a one-act play satirizing the conditions of the surveillance state, internet addiction and online activism. Through a process that utilizes conceptual sculpture, joke writing and concept-map making, Medium Judith creates a queer theater in which cultural signifiers are transmuted and recomposed into an experimental world logic and value system.
Peter and Rita, a likable pair of 20-somethings, meet at a party and click. In a few short weeks, they date, court and marry. But on the wedding day, an elderly man asks to kiss the bride -- and suddenly, Peter is married to a stranger. How do you recover a lost soulmate? This light and whimsical romantic dramedy traces one man's answer, touching gently on the roots of love, family and the courage to make the choices that ultimately sum up life. Enjoy Prelude to a Kiss on the stage of the Whittier Center Theatre.
Eliza Clark's Quack exposes the shaky foundations of the wellness industry, the fleeting nature of 21st-century fame and the relationship between the powerful men who dole out advice and the women who are supposed to receive it with a smile. Dr. Irving Baer and his daytime talk show reaches millions of women across America who rely on Baer to help them lose weight, manifest their destinies, and take their health into their own hands. When a take-down piece of journalism goes viral, leaving Baer's career hanging in the balance, his marriage on the rocks and his carefully maintained public persona in peril -- one thing becomes clear: if Baer is going to fall from grace, he's bringing everyone else with him. See this hilarious new comedy at Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
In a tiny, family-run factory in East L.A., fabric flies and tempers flare when Ana, fresh out of high school, rebels against the status quo with dreams of becoming a writer. But deportation and the pressure to not abandon her heritage become a heated debate. In Josefina Lopez's Real Women Have Curves, incredibly strong women gossip about food and sex and love ... and size, while rewriting Corporate America's definition of beauty. Catch this acclaimed comedy that's written, directed and designed by an all-female team when it comes to Burbank's Garry Marshall Theatre.
Craving a little splash of vodka in your Christmas cheer? Prefer watching Bad Santa over It's a Wonderful Life? Think naughty > nice? David Sedaris sympathizes. In 1992, the now-famous humorist wrote an autobiographical essay about being broke and working as an elf at the massive Macy's department store in New York. The essay was adapted into a one-man show, and it's now the funniest, most irreverent anti-holiday classic. If you need a break from a crazy family, mall madness or cloying carols, Patrick Censoplano dons the candy-cane tights for a heaping dose of (anti)holiday hilarity in The Santaland Diaries at The Other Space at Santa Monica Playhouse. Arrive half an hour early for a little extra cheer -- your ticket includes a pre-show toast with a glass of champagne or nonalcoholic eggnog. This show is not suitable for children younger than age 15.
They've taken on '90s film faves like Scream, Cruel Intentions and Clueless. Now Rockwell: Table & Stage cuts into the absurdity of suburban life with Scissorhands: A Musical Inspired by the Film, a show that's sure to delight fans of the original which starred Johnny Depp, Wynona Ryder, Dianne Wiest and Alan Arkin. Based on Tim Burton's modern fairy tale, the quirky story follows a synthetic boy with sharp blades for hands who charms an entire neighborhood of normies. You'll appreciate the movie even more after seeing it reworked for the stage at Rockwell in Los Angeles.
Prepare to be dazzled as master illusionist Ivan Amodei brings his acclaimed new show, Secrets and Illusions to the Thousand Oaks Civics Arts Plaza. A triple entertainment experience of magic, storytelling and audience participation, this thrilling 90-minute performance transports you to the Louvre's endless galleries, where you'll witness Amodei unravel ancient mysteries -- and maybe even the meaning of life -- within priceless works of art. Recently honored by the mayor of Beverly Hills, Calif., for his contribution to magic, this highly skilled performer's amazing technique and theatrical flair have earned him the reputation as "Entertainer to the Stars." Don't miss the show that the Boston Globe describes as "magic with a message."
The Secrets of My Skincare Routine is an immersive and multidisciplinary performance piece utilizing movement, projection, poetry and body remodeling with clay. Exploring the mind-body connection from a feminine perspective, the work specifically focuses on external and internal stimuli and the micro/macro awareness of the body. The performance has been devised within the collective for the past year, during which the artists held experimental workshops and discussions that explored themes of obsession, distortion and perception, disconnect, illusion and control. Beginning with a loose prompt, the team allowed the performance to come together without a structure or leader, trusting the collaborative process to result in a finished cohesive product. The Bastette Group is an inclusive and ever changing group of female artists, designers, directors, producers, cinematographers, choreographers and, most importantly, collaborators. The collective was started in 2017 and their first collaboration was a 10-part experimental music video series, Rigor Samsa, which is available to view online. Their sophomore project was a five continuous performance piece, A Body. Again that premiered in March, 2018. The Bastette Group was founded by Megan Spatz, with the goal to provide opportunity for creative women to explore themes, topics, techniques of their craft that could be focused around a shared creative goal. All femme identifying persons are welcome collaborators, and are encouraged to reach out.
Why do we know more about Kim Kardashian than Abigail Adams? Combining theater, history, multimedia, audience interaction and good old-fashioned story telling, She's History! brings to life the true tales of fabulous females, then and now. Writer-performer/cultural herstorian Amy Simon spent years researching diaries, letters, publications and biographies and created this unique herstorical edutaining theatrical presentation. Going back and forth from the past to the present, this Mom On A Mission poignantly finds the funny as she chronicles the struggles and accomplishments of our unheralded, unknown and forgotten heroines whose courage and strength inspire her as she raises two daughters. Watch Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony multitask -- just like today's mom -- running the house, fixing dinner and corralling the kids, all while working on the Fourteenth Amendment. Hear about our first feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, and witness Sojourner Truth's powerful "Ain't I Woman" speech. Learn how Alice Paul stole President Wilson's parade, and see how she suffered for the cause. Watch Nancy Pelosi become the first female Speaker of the House, learn about Shirley Chisholm's humanity, and what inspired Bella Abzug. Hear about Pat Schroeder, Katie Couric, Malala Yousafzai, Eleanor Roosevelt, Golda Meir, Victoria Woodhull (the first woman to run for president) and Hillary Clinton, bloomers, suffrage, maternal profiling, the road to Seneca Falls, abolition and more! It's all there in a GALA-PALOOZA honoring Female America, at Theatre West in Los Angeles. This show is recommended for ages 10 and older
What if Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective found himself in a plot inspired by Robert Louis Stephenson? Enter The Suicide Club and find out. In the heart of London, there stands a windowless house where Europe's most powerful men gather to play a murderous game. On this particular night, the club welcomes a new member, Sherlock Holmes. Does Holmes actually wish to die? Can his friend Dr. Watson save him? In the new stage thriller Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club at the Long Beach Playhouse, the audience will become immersed in a world of mystery, comedy and romance with plenty of twists and chills for all!
When the mostly white employees from a large ad agency reveal their unconscious racism through slips of the tongue and gender micro-aggressions, the tensions build as aggressions move into overt racism and misogyny. Both African-American and white women fight back as hidden agendas, alliances and liaisons rise to the surface -- in fierce and funny ways. Enjoy the world premiere of Show Pony at Burbank's Victory Theatre Center.
Everyone's favorite ogre is coming to the stage in this musical adaptation of the beloved animated film Shrek. This all-ages production throws just about every fairy tale ever told into a blender for a hip and funny mash-up. Come along for a song-filled adventure as a very unlikely ogre hero teams up with a sassy donkey and a feisty princess who's anything but a damsel in distress. Together, the trio takes on the short-tempered bad guy, Lord Farquaad, to save their kingdom. Featuring music by Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, Shrek The Musical promises to be ogre-sized fun for the whole family at the Fred Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks.
Through American Sign Language paired with singing, SIGNing the Song shares the true story of a boy who grew up in a deaf household with little exposure to TV, radio, or movies. Because of his incredible 8th grade music teacher and the love and support of his parents, he came out of his silent world and discovered his voice through music. ASL (American Sign Language) and song lyrics meld together into a beautiful unique art form. This immersive one-man show celebrates the extraordinary impact educators and parents have on each child's life … regardless of their struggles.
In the hit thriller film The Silence of the Lambs, rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling matches wits with the brilliant-but-insane Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter to catch the serial killer known only as Buffalo Bill. Clarice faces her own demons while racing the clock to decipher Lecter's clues before another innocent young woman is killed and skinned by Buffalo Bill. Now the laugh-out-loud, raunchy satire Silence! The Musical brings back the creepiness but with a whole lot more fun! The saucy (and very adult) stage show features a singing chorus of floppy-eared lambs, who narrate the action as Buffalo Bill gleefully kidnaps the hapless Catherine Martin at a hoedown. Even Dr. Lecter makes an appearance, singing about the life he'd like to lead someday outside his prison walls. See the winner of the 2012 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical when it comes to Let Live Theater at The Actors Company in Los Angeles. This show contains strong language and subject matter. It is not recommended for children and those easily offended
The Long Beach Shakespeare Company reprises its grand holiday entertainment, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It's Christmas at Camelot, and while Queen Guinevere introduces the feast, King Arthur refuses to eat until he's been told a true tale of exceptional valor. Suddenly, in rides a giant dressed in green with a giant axe. He dares any of the knights to play a deadly game with him, and young Gawain rises to the challenge. This festive production at the LBSC's Richard Goad Theatre features music, dancing, sword-fighting and a little romantic comedy thrown in for good measure.
A gripping drama about war refugees haunted by the death of their loved ones — and by memories of the things they had to do to survive. It’s 1947 in San Francisco, home to a group of resettled Holocaust survivors from Poland whose very existence depended on blurring the lines between right and wrong. It is there we meet Rabbi Kroeller and a group of morally starved refugees as they seek to define their existence in this new, tidy post-war America. How can these splintered souls adapt to a new life in a new land, where all the rules have changed?
This play presents the afterlife as a steambath, in which recently deceased souls (who may not in every case realize that they're dead) continue to obsess about the same petty concerns that obsessed them in their lives. Ultimately, they are cast into another room offstage which is represented by a dark void by God, the steambath's Puerto Rican attendant and with the help of his assistant Gottlieb. In the play, the new arrival Tandy at first refuses to accept what's happened, and when he finally does, he pleads to be allowed to return to his life. Steambath was controversial when first produced for its obscene language, its satirical take on religion and some brief nudity. Now you can catch it on the stage of the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles.
THE STUDY takes place during a psychological clinical test of the flight-or-fight response set in a college lecture hall. The audience's reactions and answers determine the outcome of each performance; in this immersive, audience-interactive, video game and theatre-inspired piece. Created by Jared Tyrel Pixler and David Evan Stolworthy, the creators of THE VIDEO GAMES, which ran for nearly three years. THE STUDY has a cast of eleven characters, many of which are from the worlds of the creator's premiere plays; Let Me Out and Roommates. No show will be like the last in this scripted, choose-your-own adventure style play. Can the audience make it so everyone escapes alive? THE STUDY is directed by Jared Tyrel Pixler and David Evan Stolworthy, fight choreography by: Matt Franta and Brandon Pugmire and special effects make up design by: Katie Lynn Mapel.
In this immersive experience, Macbeth's seemingly random meeting with three witches launches him on an escalating path of bloody carnage that haunts both him and his wife, driving them mad. For this production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, former Disney Imagineer Chris Runco transforms the Downtown Los Angeles Shakespeare Center into multiple haunted playing spaces for a 360-degree experience of the quick-cut, 70-minute play. Nine actors perform all the roles and guide the audience through the spaces, laying bare Macbeth's ruthless ambition in a visceral, haunting experience. This show moves up and down stairs and uses ramps and inclines outside of the theatre. No large bags are allowed.
Trump in Space is Star Trek meets Avenue Q meets Trump, a musical battle of good vs. bad and ideals vs. opportunism. This original musical is an epic space adventure filled with all the sci–fi tropes we love and all the politics we love to hate. Four hundred years in the future, the fallout of the Trump administration has left humans stranded without a planet. Captain Natasha Trump, a direct descendant of President Donald J. Trump, races to find humanity a new planet because the earth blew up! Running time is one hour.
Make your way to the Upside Down as Rockwell: Table & Stage continues its ongoing Unauthorized Musical Parody series by taking aim at the crazy world of Stranger Things. This Halloween takes a turn for the strange, as an incredible cast of Broadway, TV and film vets bring the Netflix hit to life ... with a musical twist.
Created by Zombie Joe and Jana Wimer, Urban Death first shocked audiences in 2005, revealing our deepest fears through a series of wordless, non-linear vignettes and intense physical performances. URBAN DEATH TOUR OF TERROR: Haunted Theatre Attraction! is bold, terrifying, and entirely unique. You are advised to purchase tickets early as this event consistently sells out.
Luis Valdez, the legendary creator of Zoot Suit and "hero of the Latino theatre" (The New York Times), returns to the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. this fall with a sweeping new epic that examines the difficult divide between America's ideals and its actions. The Yamaguchis and the Montaños are two immigrant families struggling to provide a future for their American-born children after the Great Depression on the farmland they share. But as their oldest children fall in love -- secretly -- the attack on Pearl Harbor throws these two families, one from Mexico and one from Japan, into uncertainty and turmoil. When the Yamaguchis are interned along with thousands of other Japanese-Americans, allegiances are tested, heroes are made, and the two young lovers must find a way to stay loyal to each other and their country.
Vietgone spins a modern twist on the classic boy-meets-girl story: Quang and Tong are refugees fleeing the Vietnam War, who hook up and fall in love in a relocation camp in Arkansas. Bold and fearless, Vietgone takes audiences on a hilariously rip-roaring ride across 1970s America with a hot soundtrack that serves up hip-hop, sass, and revolution.
Wicked Woman events feature pole dance, aerial feats, contortion, fire, burlesque and more. The performers pay tribute to a Wicked Woman of History through their sensual movements at each show. The Wicked Woman Picture Show at El Cid in L.A. combines beloved films with burlesque dance and is the most unique show in town!
Head down the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, too, in Encore's adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, starring a cast of kids and adults ages 6 and up at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. Based on the classic screenplay and featuring music from the Oscar-winning movie, this is the beloved story of the girl who wakes up in a strange land filled with witches and wizards, munchkins and flying monkeys -- and befriends a lion, a tin man and a scarecrow in her quest to find her way back home. The unforgettable score includes all-time favorites like "Over the Rainbow," "We're Off to See the Wizard" and "If I Only Had a Brain."
Paul Robeson was a true Renaissance man and a prominent African-American activist during a time when that was a dangerous thing to be. Learn all about this fascinating character in Stogie Kenyatta's one-man show at Santa Monica Playhouse. This powerful and poignant performance tells the amazing true story of a man who could seemingly do anything. He played in the NFL while getting his law degree, then became famous as an entertainer after starring in Show Boat and Othello and recording deep-voiced renditions of spirituals like his famed "Ol' Man River." Robeson was also an outspoken civil rights activist who fought to end racism and oppression and became a target of the McCarthy hearings.
