Announcing: Extension of “Deathtrap” Canceled Due to Revocation of Performance Rights

L.A. GAY & LESBIAN CENTER’S ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION
OF IRA LEVIN’S “DEATHTRAP”
WILL NOT RETURN IN SEPTEMBER
DUE TO PERFORMANCE RIGHTS BEING REVOKED

Due to a last-minute revocation of performance rights, the much acclaimed, ‘Ovation Recommended’ production of Ira Levin’s classic comedy-thriller Deathtrap will be unable to return to the Davidson/Valentini Theatre at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center in September as previously announced. Net proceeds would have benefitted the entire array of the Center’s free and low-cost programs and services.

Directed by eight-time Ovation Award-winner Ken Sawyer, the Center’s production of Deathtrap enjoyed a ten week sold-out run in the spring of this year. Due to the original engagement’s runaway success, the Center planned to remount the production, but the Estate of Ira Levin that controls the performance rights abruptly revoked them, citing a brief moment of onstage nudity.

Following an impassioned appeal by the Center, rights were once again granted, but this time with very strict guidelines prohibiting any onstage behavior that portrayed the two lead male characters having a physical relationship—this despite the fact that in the play the characters are involved in a full-blown affair.

Deathtrap’s famously complex script provides genuine, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and is known for the jolts and surprises that occur along the way. The Center has decided that re-mounting the show with the imposed restrictions would force the play’s central relationship back into the closet, thus compelling the Center to compromise both its mission and its integrity. It would also result in a very different and less effective production than the one audiences had been lining up to see. Therefore the Center has been forced to cancel.

The entire original cast was set to return. They are (in alphabetical order) Brian Foyster, Cynthia Gravinese, Burt Grinstead, Elizabeth Herron, Carl J. Johnson, and Stephen Mendillo. The design team included Joel Daavid (set), Luke Moyer (lighting), Paula Higgins (costumes), and Ken Sawyer (sound). Deathtrap was produced by Jon Imparato, artistic director of the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center.

Patrons who had already purchased tickets for the extension will receive full refunds. The Center’s box office personnel is in the process of contacting all ticket buyers. The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center is located at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood.

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08-23-12

Announcing: “Deathtrap” Set to Return To G&L Center in September

IRA LEVIN’S DEATHTRAP
SET TO RETURN IN SEPTEMBER

L.A. GAY & LESBIAN CENTER’S HIGHLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION WILL RUN SIX WEEKS ONLY
SEPTEMBER 21 – OCTOBER 28

The much acclaimed, ‘Ovation Recommended’ production of Ira Levin’s classic comedy thriller Deathtrap is set to return to the Davidson/Valenti Theatre for six weeks only, opening on Friday, September 21 and running through Sunday, October 28. Directed by Ken Sawyer, Deathtrap recently enjoyed a ten week sold out run at the Davidson/Valenti Theatre, located at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in Hollywood. Net proceeds will benefit the entire array of the Center’s free and low-cost programs and services.

Deathtrap’s famously complex script provides genuine, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and is perfectly tailored to jolt audiences out of their seats. Playwright Ira Levin is perhaps best known for his suspense novels Rosemary’s Baby, The Boys from Brazil, and The Stepford Wives. Of Levin, famed author Stephen King said, “He is the Swiss watchmaker of suspense novels, making the rest of us look like cheap watchmakers in drugstores.”

Director Ken Sawyer has won a total of eight Ovation Awards for his work in the suspense/horror genre, three for Dracula at the NoHo Arts Center, and five for The Woman in Black at the Road Theatre Company. The entire cast will be returning, and they are (in alphabetical order) Brian Foyster, Cynthia Gravinese, Burt Grinstead, Elizabeth Herron, Carl J. Johnson, and Stephen Mendillo. The set design is by Joel Daavid, lighting design is by Luke Moyer, costume design is by Paula Higgins, and sound design is by Ken Sawyer. Deathtrap is produced by Jon Imparato, artistic director of the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center.

Opening night is set for Friday, September 21, and this return engagement of Deathtrap will run through October 28 only. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 7pm. General seating admission is $25 on Friday and Saturday, and $20 on Sunday. Tickets are available online at www.lagaycenter.org/theatre, or by calling (323) 860-7300.

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center provides a broad array of services for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, welcoming nearly a quarter-million client visits from ethnically diverse youth and adults each year. Through its Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic and on-site pharmacy, the Center offers free and low-cost health, mental health, HIV/AIDS medical care and HIV/STD testing and prevention. The Center also offers legal, social, cultural and educational services, with unique programs for seniors, families and youth, including a 24-bed transitional living program for homeless youth. Information about the Gay & Lesbian Center is available on the Web at www.lagaycenter.org.

The Davidson/Valenti Theatre is located at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood. Free parking is available.

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06-19-12