Archived entries for Patti Issues

Ben Rimalower / Patti Issues (LAArtsOnline.com)

Ben Rimalower - Patti Issues (LA Arts Online)

Announcing: Ben Rimalower Set to Bring NY Times Critic’s Pick “Patti Issues” to West Coast in March

BEN RIMALOWER SET TO BRING
HIS SMASH HIT SOLO SHOW
PATTI ISSUES
TO THE WEST COAST IN MARCH

DATES IN BERKELEY, SAN FRANCISCO,
SAN DIEGO, AND LOS ANGELES

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR ALL PERFORMANCES

Ben RimalowerWriter/producer/director/performer/raconteur extraordinaire Ben Rimalower is set to bring his critically acclaimed show, Patti Issues, to the West Coast for five performances in March. Written and performed by Rimalower, and directed by Aaron Mark, Patti Issues, which has been playing to sold-out houses at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in New York City, is now enjoying its fifth extension there, through April 24. Calling the show, “Smart, poignant, and dishy as hell,” The Advocate placed Patti Issues on its coveted Top 10 Theatre List, and it also recently became a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Rimalower will perform in Berkeley (March 26), San Francisco (March 27), San Diego (March 28), and Los Angeles (March 29 & 30).

Said David Rooney in The New York Times, “The show is a tight hourlong monologue that pairs a well-honed script with an engagingly spontaneous delivery and a nose for sharp, observational comedy. As a gay man’s coming-of-age story wrapped up in more than 20 years of undiminished idol worship, Mr. Rimalower’s funny, tender reminiscence rides an infectious rainbow high.”

When Ben Rimalower was eight years old, his father came out of the closet and embarked on a drug-fueled tear that left his family in tatters. Amid the chaos of his young life, Ben found comfort—like so many gay boys before him and after—in musical theatre, and specifically in the transportive voice of Broadway star Patti LuPone. With a mix of comic irreverence, stark candor, and show-biz bravado, Patti Issues poignantly explores the challenges facing LGBT parents and children while shining unique light on gay men’s time-old obsessions with divas.

Of Patti Issues, which received the Bistro Award for Best Solo Play, Time Out New York said, “Meticulously scripted and executed, with poignant punch lines that deliver laughs, emotion, and insight.” BroadwayWorld.com exclaimed, “Both viciously funny and gently poignant, it is a damn fine way to spend an evening.” And from The Huffington Post, “Bitingly funny and deeply moving, easily one of the best pieces of solo performance I have ever seen. Rimalower fits in easily among artists like Spalding Gray, Holly Hughes, and Tim Miller.” Said Ms. LuPone herself, “I was moved … he’s a very talented man, and I’m so proud of him.”

Ben Rimalower directed and produced the Off-Broadway plays Joy and The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero. He also directed Snoopy! starring Sutton Foster, Justin Sayre Is Alive And Well… Writing, Project Lohan, And/or, Sodom the Musical and Night Of A Thousand Judys. He has earned the title “Midas of Cabaret” (The Advocate) helming a slew of solo shows, notably conceiving and directing Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches and subsequently producing Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records’ Patti LuPone at Les Mouches. He was the Founding Artistic Director of UC Berkeley’s BareStage (now celebrating its 17th anniversary). Follow @benrimalower on Twitter and read his blog on the Huffington Post.

For more information, go to www.PattiIssues.com. Patti Issues will play the following California venues and dates:

Tuesday, March 26 at 8pm
UC Berkeley, Choral Rehearsal Hall, BareStage (Room 20, Cesar Chavez Basement)
FOR TICKETS: Zellerbach Box Office at tinyurl.com/b6orsk7 [510-642-3880]
★RIMALOWER WILL ALSO CONDUCT A MASTER CLASS ON THIS DAY FROM 4:30-6:00PM,
AND THERE WILL BE A Q&A IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE★

Wednesday, March 27 at 7:30pm
The Marsh Mainstage, 1062 Valencia Street, San Francisco
FOR TICKETS: www.themarsh.org/rising [415-282-3055]

Thursday, March 28 at 8pm
Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Avenue, San Diego
FOR TICKETS: www.martinisabovefourth.com/PattiIssues [619-400-4500]

Friday, March 29 & Saturday, March 30 at 9pm
Cavern Club Celebrity Theatre at Casita del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Avenue, LA
FOR TICKETS: www.PattiIssuesLA.brownpapertickets.com [Available online only]

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02-14-13