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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Drew Larimore, a playwright from Kentucky, is bringing his EVVY Award winning “Best Dramatic Script,” TOUCH, to L.A this weekend. Larimore wrote his first play when he was in the 3rd grade and hasn’t stopped since.

His passion for writing and list of accomplishments is an inspiration for many of us. He is the creator of the Boston-based playwrights group The Red Hand Collective and a member of Circle East Theatre Company in New York. His ten-minute play THE QUINTESSENTIAL RAPPORT was a finalist in the 2002 National Ten-Minute Play Competition. He has three plays currently in production in Melbourne, Sydney, Boston, and Hollywood.

After traveling over much of the world and participating in many amazing productions, he had a chance to speak with LA.CityZine and tell us a little about himself and his play TOUCH.

This Saturday, Drew will be doing a reading of his new work TOUCH at WINTERFEST. There is detailed information on the event following the interview. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

Listening to a writer is a really cool experience. When you’re reading a book, it’s rare that you ask yourself, “Hey, I wonder what the guy looks like who just wrote that line?” Wonder what his voice sounds like? He might be totally boring. Or he may very well resemble a total non-writer, body-building jock. It’s so fun to me to see the face behind the words. Oh, and listen to them too.

We hear about concerts and movies all the time, but it’s rare that Friday night plans involve going out for dinner, a few drinks, and a literary session. But, from hearing writers speak before, I can say that it’s not a bore whatsoever.

Here are a few amazing speakers, I’ve found coming up in the next month, Steven Sondheim hosted by Frank Rich, and Anne Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert. All at the beautiful Royce Hall, right off of Sunset Blvd. on the UCLA campus.

For details click below the jump:

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The notorious case of “thrill” killers Leopold and Loeb has been fodder for books, plays, and movies that have taken creative liberties with the story. But Daniel Henning, the writer and director of Dickie and Babe: The Truth About Leopold and Loeb makes it plain that he considers his production quite unlike the others. The Blank Theater’s press release for the production refers to the piece as a “documentary play” and insists that what happens on stage “all happened” in real life.

What happened in Chicago in 1924 was this: Richard “Dickie” Loeb and Nathan “Babe” Leopold, two privileged and accomplished 18 and 19-year-olds, were charged with the kidnapping and murder of 14-year old Bobby Franks. The subsequent trial was what we today would call a media circus, and the boys were represented by Clarence Darrow, who would become famous with this case and even more famous a year later for his part in the Scopes “Monkey” trial.

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It’s a gay old time (mostly) this week with three shows dealing with diverse gay-themes…from baseball, to marriage, to killings. As always, please double check directions and availability of seats. Theatre does sell out in L.A…well, sometimes.

Nocturne By Adam Rapp

Tres Stage | 1523 N. La Brea Ave., second floor, L.A. - Map

Human story about dealing with human loss. With the chilling first line, “Fifteen years ago I killed my sister,” the drama unfolds in a one-man show that deconstructs this tragedy. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

Violence in our schools is nothing new. We read about it in the paper almost every day and we see it on our television sets just as often. It has got to the point that even the most innocuous of school items can be perceived as threats, and minor infractions once considered part of growing up become a lingering fixture in a young person’s permanent record.

At a time when there is exploding unrest and violence in schools in this country, THE MONKEY JAR is a timely play addressing the fears of educators who have to deal with conflicting personalities, politically correct behavior and a school’s desire to keep a pristine reputation. When a young student brings a gun to class in a charter public school that has heavy parental involvement, pride in high test scores and an enviable reputation, everyone is panicked. The stakes are enormous. With multiple ethnicities involved - a first year African-American principal; a Japanese-American teacher who is privately gay; and an Asian-American student whose adoptive parents are Jewish – the possibility looms for an explosive situation that could ruin lives and forever tarnish the school’s reputation.

I was able to take a moment and sit down with the playwright to discuss some aspects of his new play–from origins to influences. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

As I established in my first article, on Hollywood Forever Cemetery, I have a penchant for movies and things from the past. For this piece, the Warner Grand Theater, in San Pedro fits that bill.

The Warner Grand Theater was built in 1931 and is on the national registry for historic buildings. The theater went through a period of several decades of neglect but in recent years has been lovingly restored.

After hearing about this theater for some time, I finally went to see a film there this Saturday night. Waiting in the mist of the evening’s rain for the theater to open, I was reminded of the film, The Majestic. This movie starred Jim Carry as a returned WWII veteran who helps bring back a dilapidated movie theater to its former glory.

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Hamlet
REDCAT at Walt Disney Concert Hall
631 W. 2nd St., L.A.
More info at Redcat

The Wooster Group offers an exciting version of Shakespeare’s classic to L.A., with Scott Shepherd in the title role and music by electroclash duo Fischerspooner. Directed by Elizabeth LeCompte.

Schedule note: Two Sunday performances, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 10 at 3 p.m.

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I’ve always enjoyed the intrinsic pleasure that comes from a good bargain. Some people call me cheap, I call myself committed to a good sale. It really has less to do with the money, than it does with knowing that you got it for less than what your friend paid. I know there are others out there that feel the same. Right?

Your Friend: I saw Wicked last night. Third row.

You: Me too. First row.

Your Friend: Cool. Pretty expensive tickets, huh?

You: Not really. I paid $25.

Your Friend: What?? I paid $120!

Well, I’m sure it would go something like that. I know. I’ve done it. Yes, each and every time a big Broadway show comes to L.A. I’m right there looking for the cheapest way to see it. Sometimes it’s worth the cheap price (Rent, Doubt) other times it’s not (Mamma Mia!, A Light in the Piazza.) I’m offering some tips on seeing these shows for cheap. If you know any more, be sure to let me know. I’m always looking for bargains.

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The weekend is coming up and there are quite a few shows opening up. This is partial list of shows opening today and tomorrow. Check back on Friday for an update on shows opening up through the rest of the weekend. As always, please call forward and check for directions and prices.

Sunday in the Park With George - Musical Theatre Repertory at USC

Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine Pulitzer Prize winning musical based on the life of 19th century French artist Georges Seurat.
Jan. 24 - Jan. 27, Sundays: 2 p.m., Thursdays: 8 p.m., Fridays: 8 p.m., Saturdays: 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Price: Free.
Email: uscmtr@gmail.com
Box office: 213-500-3225.

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I’m a person who has taste in music. Notice I didn’t say good taste, though my holy trinity of rock will always be the critically-approved combo of The Boss, The Band, and Bob Dylan. The majority of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums” also reside in my vinyl or CD collection. But to me part of being a true music fan is having a handful of crap-tastic albums that you realize are such but love them fiercely just the same. In fact, if one of my beloved shit songs comes on the radio and my turning it up renders a passenger smug, I can usually put together a pretty good argument as to why the song isn’t as bad as they think.

So pop into Redcat tonight to see what some fellow music junkies are defending. “Listen Again: Music You Should Change Your Mind About Right Now” will feature a panel of writers from publications such as LA Weekly and City Beat and professors from USC and UCLA extolling the virtues of their favorite songs. According to the Redcat press release the panelists will have “five minutes each to persuade the audience to reconsider a series of pop tracks — and find in them hitherto undiscovered pleasures.”

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I’m providing even more information on Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd for the simple reason that, well, I think this is America’s finest contribution to musical theatre. To be honest, though, it really is everywhere—from the giant poster on Santa Monica Blvd. and Highland Avenue to the multitude of posters lining the bus stops all over the greater Los Angeles area (I really don’t venture anywhere outside of L.A. unless I have to.) On top of that, Stephen Sondheim will be making a rare appearance at UCLA in March and the re-envisioned Broadway revival will be making a pit stop in downtown around that same time. So, for all those Angelinos looking to reacquaint themselves with the demon barber, or for the new fans that can’t get enough of it, mark your calendars!

Until them, let me break down the three versions now available:

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