Announcing: Katie Rubin’s ‘Why I Died, a Comedy!’ Extended for 9 Perfs at Atwater Village Theatre, Jan 3-Feb 27

WHY I DIED, A COMEDY!
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY
KATIE RUBIN
EXTENDED FOR NINE PERFORMANCES ONLY
AT THE ATWATER VILLAGE THEATRE
JANUARY 3 — FEBRUARY 27, 2014

Actor, writer, and comedienne Katie Rubin will reprise her new solo show, Why I Died, a Comedy! for nine performances only at the Atwater Village Theatre beginning January 3, 2014. Directed by Victor Bumbalo, Why I Died, a Comedy! recently enjoyed an acclaimed engagement at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood, and is now extended by popular demand.

Why I Died, a Comedy! is Katie Rubin’s fourth solo show. In it, she tells the story of navigating a deep spiritual awakening in the face of a hilariously pushy producer, an intense writing deadline, the uncontrollable nature of her own imagination, a codependent mugger, pop stars, reality TV, infomercials, and a bevy of “false prophets.” Through the voices of 10 comedic characters, Rubin chronicles her attempt to create and evolve simultaneously. Will her spiritual and creative efforts merge? Or will she have to give up one for the other?

Writer/Performer Katie Rubin began her career at Amherst College with her first original piece, PartyBoobyTrap. Her second play, Avoiding Less Blue, was produced in the 2000 New York Fringe Festival. Rubin’s first original solo show, Insides OUT!, toured to venues across the country. In 2010, Sacramento’s Capital Stage Theater Company commissioned her to complete her second theatrical solo show, Amazing and Sage, and shortly thereafter she completed her third solo piece, My Spiritual Death, a Comedy Show! with which Rubin has been touring for the past three years to venues in California, New Mexico, Colorado, and Florida. In addition to performing and writing original material, Rubin also works as a regional theatre actress and director.

Director Victor Bumbalo is also a playwright whose work has been produced worldwide and translated into five languages. His plays include Adam and the Experts, Niagara Falls, What Are Tuesdays Like?, Tell, and Questa. Bumbalo is the recipient of an Ingram Merrill Award for Playwriting. He has written for several popular television series including NYPD Blue, American Gothic, Relativity, and HBO’s Spawn. His short film Two Boys has recently appeared in several major film festivals. At the 2011 Beverly Hills Shorts Film Festival his film won the Jury Award for Best Drama. Bumbalo also won Best Director at the 2012 Raleigh Studios ITN Distribution Film Festival.

Why I Died, a Comedy! will play nine performances only from January 3 through February 27, with the following running schedule — Fridays, January 3, 10, and 17; Saturdays, January 4, 11, and 18; and Thursdays, February 13, 20, and 27, all at 8pm. Following certain performances, Ms. Rubin will present some new characters she is developing for her next show; audience feedback will be welcome.

Tickets are $20, available online at www.KatieRubin.com or by phone at (510) 689-8025. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue in Los Angeles, 90038. Street and lot parking are available.

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12-11-13

Announcing: Laura Benanti Set to Make L.A. Solo Concert Debut – January 9, 2014, at Catalina Bar & Grill

CHRIS ISAACSON PRESENTS
TONY AWARD-WINNING BROADWAY STAR
LAURA BENANTI
IN HER LOS ANGELES SOLO CONCERT DEBUT
CELEBRATING THE RELEASE OF HER FIRST ALBUM
“IN CONSTANT SEARCH
OF THE RIGHT KIND OF ATTENTION”

CATALINA BAR & GRILL IN HOLLYWOOD
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014 AT 8:30PM

Chris Isaacson Presents and Upright Cabaret have announced that Tony Award-winning Broadway star Laura Benanti will make her Los Angeles solo concert debut in January. The show celebrates the West Coast release of her first album “In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention,” which USA Today named “Pick of the Week” and TV Guide called “A must-have.” With musical direction and arrangements by Todd Almond, there will be one show only on Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 8:30pm at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. Cocktail and dinner service begin at 7pm.

On the stage, Laura Benanti has brought her unique talent and abilities to comedies, dramas and musicals since she took Broadway by storm at the age of 18. Her many New York credits include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them, the 2002 revival of Into the Woods, Swing!, and the 2003 revival of Nine. Along the way, Ms. Benanti has been nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and in 2008 she won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Featured Actress in Gypsy starring Patti Lupone. Other stage work includes The Winter’s Tale (Williamstown Theatre Festival), A Little Night Music (L.A. Opera), and Wonderful Town (City Center Encores). On television, Ms. Benanti’s numerous credits include Go On, The Playboy Club, Starved, Royal Pains, The Big C, Law & Order: SVU, Eli Stone, Elementary, and Life On Mars. She will appear as the Baroness Elsa Schrader in NBC’s The Sound of Music which will be broadcast live on Thursday, December 5, and she will be recurring on the new season of Showtime’s Nurse Jackie in 2014.

Musical director and arranger Todd Almond is a composer, lyricist and playwright. His musicals include We Have Always Lived In The Castle, On The Levee, Girlfriend, People Like Us, Ahraihsak, and Kansas City Choir Boy. Almond served as music director for the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa’s Tres Niñas. In addition to having some of the theatre world’s top singers perform his music (Sherie Rene Scott, Victoria Clark, Cheyenne Jackson, Jayne Houdyshell, Ms.Benanti, and more), Almond regularly performs his own material in NYC’s top venues and he recently released a CD of original songs entitled Mexico City.

About Chris Isaacson Presents and Upright Cabaret — Chris Isaacson has promoted, created and produced over 600 concerts and events since forming his company in 2004. From small clubs to major theatres, Isaacson has produced many of the most influential stars of his generation including Adam Lambert, Lea Michele, Megan Hilty, Billy Porter, Ana Gasteyer, Natasha Bedingfield, Orianthi, Taylor Dayne, Paula Cole and legends like Paul Anka, Sergio Mendes, and more. Isaacson is also co-founder of LA’s renowned Upright Cabaret, which has been redefining the cabaret milieu for a new generation of audiences since 2005. Upright Cabaret celebrates old style cabaret while simultaneously bringing young Broadway and young Hollywood together in a live setting. This past year, Isaacson served as Entertainment Director at Rolling Stone Los Angeles in Hollywood. Currently, he produces/presents entertainment at The Grove in Los Angeles including Jake Simpson Live! (Artist-in-Residence), The Downtown Horns, E! Network’s Emile Welman (Ms. Eastwood & Company, Invictus), and more. His concerts have been featured on Access Hollywood, Extra, ABC’s On The Red Carpet, KTLA Morning News, Fox Good Day LA and in the LA Times, OK! Magazine, and New York Post. Visit www.ChrisIsaacsonPresents.com.

Laura Benanti: In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention will play one performance only at the Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood on Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 8:30pm. Doors open at 7pm for cocktail and dinner service (minimums apply). Admission is $30, and VIP seating ($40) is available. Purchases made before January 4 receive a $5 discount, and online purchases will receive priority seating. Tickets are on sale now and may be obtained by calling (866) 468-3399 or by visiting www.UprightCabaret.com or www.TicketWeb.com.

Catalina Bar & Grill is located at 6725 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, 90028.

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12-04-13

Saving Mr. Banks (LAArtsOnline.com)