NEWS RELEASE — CAST & DESIGNERS SET FOR “SONS OF THE PROPHET” AT THE BLANK THEATRE — OPENS FEBRUARY 7, 2015

CAST & DESIGNERS SET
FOR THE BLANK THEATRE’S
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF
SONS OF THE PROPHET
BY STEPHEN KARAM
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

PERFORMANCES BEGIN JANUARY 31
★ NOW EXTENDED THROUGH APRIL 26 ★
AT THE BLANK’S 2nd STAGE THEATRE

The cast and designers have been set for The Blank Theatre’s Los Angeles premiere of Sons of the Prophet by Stephen Karam, directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews. Performances begin January 31 with opening night set for Saturday, February 7.

In alphabetical order, the cast will feature Ellen Karsten, Jack Laufer, Braxton Molinaro, Erik Odom, Irene Roseen, Adam Silver, Mychal Thompson and Tamara Zook. Set design is by Rachel Watson, lighting design is by Luke Moyer, costume design is by Allison Dillard, and sound design is by Cricket S. Myers. The stage manager is Marcedes L. Clanton, and Sons of the Prophet is produced for The Blank Theatre by Daniel Henning, Noah Wyle, and Sarah A. Bauer.

Winner of the 2012 NY Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Play and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Sons of the Prophet by Stephen Karam (Speech & Debate) is a refreshingly honest take on how we cope with wounds that just won’t heal. If to live is to suffer, then Joseph Douaihy is more alive than most. With unexplained chronic pain and the fate of his reeling family on his shoulders, Joseph’s health, sanity, and insurance premium are on the line. In an age when modern medicine has a cure for just about everything, Sons of the Prophet is the funniest play about human suffering you’re likely to see.

Preview performances begin on Saturday, January 31 at 8pm and continue on Sunday, February 1 at 2pm, and Wednesday through Friday, February 4—6 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, February 7 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule will be Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through March 15 Extended Through March 29 Now Extended Through April 26. Tickets are $25 for previews and $30 for regular performances and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com or via phone at (323) 661-9827.

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

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01-05-15

Wickedly Good! (LAArtsOnline.com)

Cast members of Wicked on Opening Night at the Pantages Theatre

WICKEDLY GOOD!

By KEN WERTHER
Photo By PAIGE PETRONE

Wicked (full title: Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz) is the winner of over 100 international awards, including three Tony’s; six Drama Desk Awards; and a Grammy. This blockbuster musical celebrated its 10th anniversary on Broadway in 2013 and is currently the 11th longest-running show in Broadway history having played over 4,650 performances. With various national and international tours currently running around the world, there seems to be no end in sight.

The story of Wicked is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz. Its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy’s arrival in Oz from Kansas and includes several references to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum’s novel on which the movie is based. Since its 2003 debut, Wicked has broken box office records around the world, currently holding weekly-gross-takings records in Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis and London.

The engagement currently running at the Pantages Theatre is its fourth in LA. I first saw Wicked here in June 2005. I practically had to promise my first born to snag a ticket and haven’t been able to get another seat since. For a taste of the relentless excitement this show generates, go to watch here and marvel at the original Broadway cast performing the act one finale. And then, head to the Pantages for tickets. You might want to bring along your first-born.

Wicked plays at the Pantages Theatre, located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, through March 15.

Glorious Edna! (LAArtsOnline.com)

Dame Edna plays the Ahmanson Theatre

Glorious Edna!

By Ken Werther
Graphics Courtesy of CTG

Batten down the hatches, possums — here comes the comic genius of Dame Edna one last time! Having previously visited the Ahmanson Theatre in 2006 and 2009, the one and only Dame Edna Everage is on her way back to Los Angeles to cap a spectacular 50-year career of celebrated sold-out performances around the world. Arguably Australia’s greatest entertainment export, she will not go out with a whimper…no one is safe from the Dame’s wicked tongue!

In 1955, actor Barry Humphries created the remarkable Mrs. Edna Everage, a purple-rinsed Melbourne housewife now known around the world as the gigastar Dame Edna. She has appeared on stage in theatrical tours of Europe, the United States (including Broadway), and the Middle East, and she has also appeared regularly on television in Australia, Europe, the UK, and the U.S. According to her official bio, Dame Edna is the Founder and Governor of Friends of the Prostate and the creator of The World Prostate Olympics. (You might want to read that last part again.)

Spending a couple of hours with Dame Edna’s take-no-prisoners comedy is a theatre experience like no other. I had the incredible honor of working with her at the Ahmanson in 2006, and I cannot remember ever laughing as much or as hard. Ever! So head downtown for a dose of the most original and relentless comedy to be found anywhere on this planet (and possibly other planets as well)!

Dame Edna’s Glorious Goodbye plays at the Ahmanson Theatre, located at 135 N. Grand Ave, through March 15.