Announcing: Larry Blum’s “Blink & You Might Miss Me” Re-Opens on 3/25 at Asylum Lab

COMBINED ARTFORM PRESENTS
A RETURN ENGAGEMENT OF
BLINK & YOU MIGHT MISS ME
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY LARRY BLUM

RE-OPENING MARCH 25, 2011 AT ASYLUM LAB

Combined Artform (Matthew Quinn, producer) has announced a return engagement of Blink & You Might Miss Me, written and performed by Larry Blum and directed by Stan Zimmerman, at the Asylum Lab in Hollywood. The critically acclaimed solo show resumes performances on Friday, March 25 at 8pm. Performances will continue on Friday evenings only at 8:00 through May 27.

Blink & You Might Miss Me is a humorous look back at Larry Blum’s personal journey in show business. Sharing engaging stories along with rare clips and photos from his long and varied career, Larry reflects on the unique opportunity he has had to experience celebrity up close and personal. Whether dancing in A Chorus Line onstage, in the feature film cult classic Xanadu or on TV’s Solid Gold, or acting on every major daytime drama, Larry’s love of the business has never waned. He also enjoys the honor of escorting the glamorous women of Hollywood as they ascend the stairs to the stage to accept various awards. Though his name may not be a household word, Blink & You Might Miss Me is his moment to take center stage once again.

The LA Weekly called Blum, “A clever, funny, accomplished raconteur.” Of the show, LA Splash said, “Written with heart and wit … it will make you chuckle and blush and think.” And from Edge Publications, “An enjoyable night of storytelling and Hollywood gossip.”

Larry Blum began his career in show business dancing in productions of I Married An Angel starring Phyllis Newman, Bye Bye Birdie starring Lucie Arnaz and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Van Johnson. After playing the role of Greg in the international production of A Chorus Line, Larry settled in Los Angeles and danced on The Third Barry Manilow Special, The Bea Arthur Special, The Tonight Show, the Opening Ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics, The People’s Choice Awards, and Solid Gold. His film credits include Xanadu and 18 Again (with George Burns), and he has appeared on the television series Roseanne, The Jeffersons, The Golden Girls, and The Garry Shandling Show, among others.

Stan Zimmerman is a writer, producer, and director. With his writing partner James Berg, Stan worked on such classic series as The Golden Girls and Roseanne (penning the now infamous ‘lesbian kiss’ episode), both of which received WGA Award nominations for Best Comedy Writing. Other television writing credits include The Gilmore Girls, the Lifetime sitcom Rita Rocks (which they also created), and both Brady Bunch movies. On his own, Stan his written for Emmy Magazine and starred in Situation: Comedy, a Bravo series produced by Sean Hayes. He made his stage directing debut with the 30th anniversary revival of Gemini at Celebration Theatre, followed by A Tuna Christmas at Theatre Asylum and Spike Heels at Actor’s Circle Theater.

Combined Artform was founded in 1998 by Matthew Quinn and Steve Kahn, and is on a mission to develop and combine all arts in order to pioneer the arts of the future. Combined Artform has collaborated with actors, singers, filmmakers, sketch comedy groups, musicians, and improv and fine artists in more than 100 shows in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. C.A. has also developed several online workshops, including, among others, stage management and public relations. For more info, please visit www.combinedartform.com.

Larry Blum’s Blink & You Might Miss Me will play Friday nights only at 8:00 through May 27. Re-opening is set for Friday, March 25 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased by visiting www.plays411.com/blink or by calling (323) 960-7612.

The Asylum Lab is located at 1078 Lillian Way (one block west of Vine, just off Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood.

Photo of Larry Blum by Michael McCreary

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03-07-11

Announcing: “Lust ‘N Rust” Opens April 1 at the Lyric Theatre

THE LYRIC THEATRE ON LA BREA
PRESENTS THE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
LUST ‘N RUST, THE TRAILER PARK MUSICAL
BY FRANK HANEY, CAROL KIMBALL & DAVE STRATTON

PERFORMANCES BEGIN MARCH 25; OPENING SET FOR APRIL 1
SIX WEEKS ONLY

The Lyric Theatre on N. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles continues its 2011 season of musicals with the West Coast premiere of Lust ‘n Rust, The Trailer Park Musical, written by Frank Haney, Carol Kimball & Dave Stratton, and directed by Thomas Colby, performances begin on Friday, March 25 Opening night is set for Friday, April 1 at 8:00, and the limited run will continue through April 30.

Across the heartland of America, small towns face the profound hardship of multinational corporations closing factories and moving work out of the country. Often these factories are the driving force of the local economies. While there’s a tendency to view these occurrences as simply the workings of faceless corporations, they are in fact choices made and acted upon by people: executives pouring over spreadsheets and middle-managers charged with the dirty work of firing hardworking loyal employees.

Lust ‘n Rust, The Trailer Park Musical starts as the story of Steve, a corporate manager from New Jersey who is transferred by his company to a small Southern Illinois town to run the local Agribig food processing plant. He moves into the Redbud Mobile Estates and meets the quirky characters that live in the trailer park. We soon find that the story is also about Connie, Steve’s neighbor in the park, who is in the process of splitting up with her husband. Connie’s relationship with Steve complicates matters, and their lives are further complicated when Steve gets a difficult assignment … one that could have a disastrous impact on the local economy. The show includes 14 memorable original alternative-country songs arranged for multi-part vocal harmonies and a country band.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Becky Birdsong, Sal Cecere, Joyanna Crouse, Scott Dean, Ward Edmondson, Josh Evans, Terra Taylor Knudson, Leann Lamb, and Derek Long. The set design is by Allan Jensen, the lighting design is by Irina Khodorkovsky, costume design is by Gennifer Anderson, and sound design is by Marika Tjelios. Lauren Buck serves as music director, the choreographer is Josh Brodis, and the production stage manager is Stephaine Boltjes. Dorrie Braun produces.

Lust ‘n Rust, The Trailer Park Musical will play two preview performances on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26, at 8pm. Opening night is set for Friday, April 1 at 8:00, and the run will continue through April 30 only. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00, with added Sunday performances on April 17 and 24 at 7pm. Tickets for Lust ‘n Rust are on sale now, and may be purchased by visiting www.brownpapertickets.com/event/144372, www.Goldstar.com or by calling (626) 695-8283.

The Lyric Theatre is located at 520 N. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, 90036. Street parking is available. For more information on Lust ‘n Rust, the Lyric Theatre, and the season of musicals, visit www.LyricTheatreLA.com.

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03-04-11

Announcing: Blank Theatre Company’s ‘The Temperamentals’ Cast Set; Rehearsals Underway; Previews Begin April 9

CAST ANNOUNCED AND REHEARSALS HAVE BEGUN
FOR THE BLANK THEATRE COMPANY’S WEST COAST PREMIERE OF THE TEMPERAMENTALS BY JON MARANS
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

FINAL PRODUCTION OF THE BLANK’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON WILL FEATURE ERICH BERGEN, DENNIS CHRISTOPHER,
PATRICK SCOTT LEWIS, MARK SHUNOCK AND JOHN TARTAGLIA

PREVIEWS BEGIN APRIL 9; OPENING SET FOR APRIL 16
AT 2nd STAGE THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD

Casting is complete and rehearsals have begun for The Blank Theatre Company’s final production of its 20th anniversary season, the West Coast premiere of The Temperamentals. Directed by Michael Matthews, The Temperamentals will begin preview performances on Saturday, April 9, 2011 and is set to open on Saturday, April 16 at 8pm. The engagement will run through Sunday, May 22.

The cast, in alphabetical order, is Erich Bergen (Jersey Boys, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for Reprise, Venice at the Kirk Douglas Theatre), BAFTA Award-winner Dennis Christopher (Deadwood, Profiler, and returning to The Blank where his performance as Alan Turing in Breaking The Code won him LA Weekly and LADCC Awards), Patrick Scott Lewis (American Dreams, Zodiac), Mark Shunock (Timon in The Lion King), and John Tartaglia (Tony Award nominee for Avenue Q; the original cast of Shrek The Musical). Director Michael Matthews has worked extensively on Broadway, internationally, and in Los Angeles and Chicago. Recent highlights in Los Angeles include the critically acclaimed productions of Haram Iran!, The Women of Brewster Place, and Take Me Out at Celebration Theatre; Dead End at the Ahmanson Theatre, and The Cherry Orchard (starring Annette Bening) at the Mark Taper Forum. He has also directed The Jazz Age and The Santaland Diaries for The Blank.

In 1950s Los Angeles, tired of police harassment, back alley bars and living in fear, a few brave souls set out to change their world and claim their civil rights. In a time when nothing could be spoken in the open, notorious communist Harry Hay and cultural icon Rudi Gernreich fell in love while building a movement. This is their story. “Temperamental” was code for “homosexual,” part of a secret survival language created by gay men in the pre-Stonewall United States.

Of the recent smash off-Broadway production, The New York Times called The Temperamentals “Intellectual, emotional, and sexual.” “Combines savvy context and ascending flights of bittersweet fabulousness,” said New York Newsday. And the Associated Press called it, “Fascinating, entertaining, and emotionally affecting.” Playwright Jon Marans is well known for his play Old Wicked Songs, which was a 1996 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama, and has been produced throughout the United States and translated and produced in a dozen countries around the world. Other plays by Marans include A Strange and Separate People, Child Child, and Jumping for Joy.

The design team for The Temperamentals includes set by Kurt Boetcher, lighting by Cameron Zetty, costumes by Lauren Tyler, and sound by Warren Davis. Matt Wolpe serves as music director, and producers are Daniel Henning, Noah Wyle, Matthew Graber and Angel Parker. The production stage manager is Marcedes Clanton.

The Temperamentals begins previews on Saturday, April 9 at 8pm. Previews will continue on Sunday, April 10 at 2pm and Tuesday, April 12 through Friday, April 15 at 8pm. Opening night is Saturday, April 16 at 8:00. Admission is $26 for previews and ranges from $26-$30 for regular performances. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by visiting www.TheBlank.com, or by calling (323) 661-9827. A speakeasy-style bar will be open to ticket holders at the Dragonfly Club (adjacent to the 2nd Stage) before evening performances, as well as at intermission.

The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollywood. Secured valet parking is available.

Photographs:
The cast of “The Temperamentals,” L to R: Erich Bergen, Dennis Christopher, John Tartaglia, Patrick Scott Lewis.  Missing: Mark Shunock. PHOTO BY MATTHEW GRABER.
L to R: Dennis Christopher, Erich Bergen and John Tartaglia during the first read-through of “The Temperamentals” (The Blank Theatre Company production) on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. PHOTO BY MATTHEW GRABER.

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03-02-11