Contrary to popular belief, tragedies and comedies do not have to be separate dramatic entities. It only takes a glance at this weekend’s theater picks to see that not every play can be classified in specific genre boxes (OK, so it’s pretty pretty easy to deduce given the title of “The Comical Tragedy…”). Go ahead and blur the theater lines by checking out The Next Big Thing, The Comical Tragedy or the Tragical Comedy of Mr. Punch, Marx in Soho, and Dupe!
The Next Big Thing - Show tunes either come in the variety of tacky, cheeseball Julie Andrews dancing through grassy fields or tongue-in-cheek campiness a la “Hairspray” and “Dreamgirls,” right? “The Next Big Thing” defies those expectations, however, by featuring a soundtrack of 1980s rock. The story of a teenager striving to write a song that transcends a one-hit wonder, this breezy play takes the liberty to play with 1980s conventions while addressing timeless themes of creating immortality through music.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
Los Angeles may be defined by outsiders as a city of glitzy film culture and crowded highways, but to writer Judith Freeman, it was Raymond Chandler’s vision of Los Angeles in his famous pulp and mystery novels that contribute to the definition of Los Angeles’ character.
“Funny how L.A. made him the writer he was and in return he gave the city a lasting image,” writes Freeman about Chandler in the first chapter of Chandler’s biography, The Long Embrace. Freeman abides by this thesis throughout the book, chronicling her journey around the Los Angeles area visiting the Chandlers’ former homes. The Chandlers moved frequently and lived everywhere in Los Angeles from “downtown to Santa Monica, Hollywood, the Westlake area, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, the mid-Wilshire district, Silverlake, Arcadia, Monrovia, San ernardio, Riverside, and Big Bear Lake, and Idyllwild in teh mountains aove L.A., and the desert towns of Palm Springs and Cathedral City” (7). It is through Freeman’s travels that Freeman unravels the story of the Chandler’s marriage.
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Tags: Literature · Reviews
Los Angeles may be defined by outsiders as a city of glitzy film culture and crowded highways, but to writer Judith Freeman, it was Raymond Chandler’s vision of Los Angeles in his famous pulp and mystery novels that contribute to the definition of Los Angeles’ character.
“Funny how L.A. made him the writer he was and in return he gave the city a lasting image,” writes Freeman about Chandler in the first chapter of Chandler’s biography, The Long Embrace. Freeman abides by this thesis throughout the book, chronicling her journey around the Los Angeles area visiting the Chandlers’ former homes. The Chandlers moved frequently and lived everywhere in Los Angeles from “downtown to Santa Monica, Hollywood, the Westlake area, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, the mid-Wilshire district, Silverlake, Arcadia, Monrovia, San ernardio, Riverside, and Big Bear Lake, and Idyllwild in teh mountains aove L.A., and the desert towns of Palm Springs and Cathedral City” (7). It is through Freeman’s travels that Freeman unravels the story of the Chandler’s marriage.
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Tags: Literature · Reviews
Celebrate the power of the individual this weekend with a slew of original and traditional shows that show how it can take only one person to tell a story or make an impact. It may sound cheesy, but in theater, one actor can tell a more effective story than a stage of twenty. Read below for more information about It’s Great 2B_N American, Happy Hour, Assassins, and Shift Happens: A (Piece of) Work in Progress!
It’s Great 2B_N_American - Living as a minority in America can be tough, but returning to one’s home country as an American can be even tougher. In a one-man show, Dan Kwong tells the story of his travels in Asia and how his identity as an Asian-American shaped not only his perspectives upon Asia, but the perspectives Asians had of him. Chock full of props, video, and sound effects, this show’s 21st century intentions create a universally appealing show.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
Celebrate the power of the individual this weekend with a slew of original and traditional shows that show how it can take only one person to tell a story or make an impact. It may sound cheesy, but in theater, one actor can tell a more effective story than a stage of twenty. Read below for more information about It’s Great 2B_N American, Happy Hour, Assassins, and Shift Happens: A (Piece of) Work in Progress!
It’s Great 2B_N_American - Living as a minority in America can be tough, but returning to one’s home country as an American can be even tougher. In a one-man show, Dan Kwong tells the story of his travels in Asia and how his identity as an Asian-American shaped not only his perspectives upon Asia, but the perspectives Asians had of him. Chock full of props, video, and sound effects, this show’s 21st century intentions create a universally appealing show.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
This July 4th weekend does not have to be all about fireworks, burnt barbecue, and Uncle Sam. Take the nontraditional track with a late-night improv show, a dark comedy set in an overseas land, or a sex-filled coming-of-age story. True, going to the theater may not be the best way to express one’s patriotism, but what better way to support one of your favorite city’s favorite industries? Read below for more information about The Completely Different Late Show, Refuge from the Storm, Spring’s Awakening, and Maestro, If You Please!
The Completely Different Late Show - An improvisational show with members of The Groundlings, an improvisation troupe whose alumni include Will Ferrell and Lisa Kudrow, “The Completely Different Late Show” isn’t just your set of old “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” games. Given its successful alums, however, the laughs should be bountiful! While this is a weekly event, brand new material by the troupe plus guest appearances by Saturday Night Live alumni make this a lively event for any weekend, not just July 4th.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
This July 4th weekend does not have to be all about fireworks, burnt barbecue, and Uncle Sam. Take the nontraditional track with a late-night improv show, a dark comedy set in an overseas land, or a sex-filled coming-of-age story. True, going to the theater may not be the best way to express one’s patriotism, but what better way to support one of your favorite city’s favorite industries? Read below for more information about The Completely Different Late Show, Refuge from the Storm, Spring’s Awakening, and Maestro, If You Please!
The Completely Different Late Show - An improvisational show with members of The Groundlings, an improvisation troupe whose alumni include Will Ferrell and Lisa Kudrow, “The Completely Different Late Show” isn’t just your set of old “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” games. Given its successful alums, however, the laughs should be bountiful! While this is a weekly event, brand new material by the troupe plus guest appearances by Saturday Night Live alumni make this a lively event for any weekend, not just July 4th.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
Los Angeles must be on a comedy kick because the theater still seems full of great comic options! While comedic tastes may be different for everyone, shows range from slapstick to absurd to macabre and morbid. Read below for more information about Touched in the Head of Elizabeth Otero, Recent Tragic Events, They’re Just Like Us, and Glorious!
Touched in the Head of Elizabeth Otero - A night of sketch comedy, “Touched in the Head of Elizabeth Otero” features a compilation of pieces written by Elizabeth Otero that approach everything from politics to family stories to scathing social commentary. Expect a night of silliness, but most importantly, look forward to some insightful slices of life.
June 26th - July 12th. Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays: 8 P.M., One 5 P.M. performance on Sunday, June 29th.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
With sunny June days and temperate summer nights, enjoy some breezy comic fare at the theater! Read more for information about Mamafied, I’m Just Wild About Harry, The Last Seder, and PuppetUp! Uncensored!
Mamafied - The comic possibilities of exploring parenthood may seem exhausted by two-star 1980’s Arnold Schwarzenegger flicks and poorly-drawn comic strips, but let’s face it, the schadenfreude joy received by witnessing young parents overcome sleep deprivation, behavioral management, and the requisite scatological conflicts never really cease to be funny. A one-woman show, “Mamafied” will surely cover known territory, but who really cares when you know the subject matter will be engaging, endearing, and should, most of all, ring true?
June 20th - July 27th. Fridays & Saturdays: 8:30 P.M. Sundays: 7:30 P.M.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
With sunny June days and temperate summer nights, enjoy some breezy comic fare at the theater! Read more for information about Mamafied, I’m Just Wild About Harry, The Last Seder, and PuppetUp! Uncensored!
Mamafied - The comic possibilities of exploring parenthood may seem exhausted by two-star 1980’s Arnold Schwarzenegger flicks and poorly-drawn comic strips, but let’s face it, the schadenfreude joy received by witnessing young parents overcome sleep deprivation, behavioral management, and the requisite scatological conflicts never really cease to be funny. A one-woman show, “Mamafied” will surely cover known territory, but who really cares when you know the subject matter will be engaging, endearing, and should, most of all, ring true?
June 20th - July 27th. Fridays & Saturdays: 8:30 P.M. Sundays: 7:30 P.M.
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
Cult films are so in, bra, and the 1991 stage adaptation of the Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze surfing action flick, “Point Break,” is no exception. “ Point Break Live!,” which opened at a new venue in Hollywood called The Dragonfly, this past Friday, is not just any film to stage adaptation, but rather an interactive show where — get this — a different audience member plays Keanu Reeves each evening for “ultimate realism.”
Flippin’ sweet, dude.
Like the hipper grandson to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show“, “Point Break Live!” has its own loyal following of fans who spout off the lines like high school pep rally cheers responding to the actors in the tight, dimly-lit Dragonfly venue. Moved from a theater in Downtown LA, “Point Break Live!” features the same cast of enthusiastic, energetic actors who seem to relish the opportunity to fight, surf, mug, and, perhaps most importantly, over-act.
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Tags: Reviews · theatre
Theater is living on the edge this weekend with a smattering of shows with gun-slingers, revenge-hungry divorce lawyers, rock n’ roll, and… Keanu Reeves? Read below for more information on this weekend’s selections, including Love, Janis, Where’s My Money?, The Lonesome West, and Point Break Live!
Love, Janis: A rock concert and biography rolled into one, “Love, Janis” recreates the ’60s with disco lights and groovy Joplin vibes. With the biographical information taken from Laura Joplin’s biography of Janis, discover more about an iconic rock star.
May 29th-June 1st. Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays: 8 P.M. Sundays: 2 P.M.
- Price: $30.00-$100.00 (Buy Now)
- Wilshire Theatre
- 8440 Wilshire Boulevard
- Beverly Hills, CA 90024 (Map)
- More info at: Wilshire Theatre
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Tags: Upcoming events · theatre
