Archived entries for The Lounge Theatre

PRESS RELEASE — QUEER CLASSICS’ “THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST” RETURNS FOR 4 WEEKS ONLY — OPENS SAT 10/25

2014 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL
ENCORE PRODUCER’S AWARD-WINNER!

QUEER CLASSICS PRESENTS
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
BY OSCAR WILDE
DIRECTED BY CASEY KRINGLEN

RETURNS FOR FOUR WEEKS ONLY
OCTOBER 25—NOVEMBER 16
THE LOUNGE THEATRES IN HOLLYWOOD

The Importance of Being Earnest - Queer ClassicsWinner of a 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival Encore Producer’s Award, the Queer Classics production of The Importance of Being Earnest is set to return for four weeks only at The Lounge Theatres in Hollywood. There will be one preview on Friday, October 24 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, October 25 at 8pm. The limited engagement will run through November 16.

Queer Classics re-imagines one of the most popular comedic plays ever written by presenting the four lovers in the story as dashing gay men. Two couples fight for the right to be engaged in this masterful satire written by Oscar Wilde, arrested in 1895 for “gross indecency with men.” This timeless tale galavants through a world obsessed with appearances, money, and social status. The parallels with today’s Hollywood and American culture make for searing fun, and by presenting the four lovers as gay men, Queer Classics creates a play more hysterically fabulous than Oscar could have imagined possible in his lifetime. Running time is 90 minutes.

“Each of these talented actors mined new meaning into the script, creating more laughter throughout the play than I have ever experienced before,” raves Shari Barrett atBroadwayWorld.com. Rob Stevens of HainesHisWay.com calls the production “… delirious fun,” and  Toby  Jacobs at NeonTommy.com says, “… everyone seems to have a real blast onstage, andit shows in their performances. It is hard to recall a version of Earnest that was quite this much fun.”

Directed by Casey Kringlen, the cast features (in alphabetical order) Grant Jordan, Nancy La Scala, Mason McCulley, Philip Orazio, Boone Platt, and Megan Soule. Lighting design is by Dan Weingarten.

Queer Classics is dedicated to sharing classic stories re-imagined through a queer lens — art for the LGBTQ community and its supporters. The Importance of Being Earnestwill play one preview on Friday, October 24 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, October 25 at 8pm. Performances will be on Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 5pm through November 16 only. No performance on Friday, October 31. Tickets are $40 for opening night (includes post-performance reception and meet-and-greet with the artists), and $20 for regular performances. They are available online at www.QueerClassics.com or by phone at (323) 450-7399.

The Lounge Theatres are located at 6201 Santa Monica Boulevard (at El Centro) in Hollywood, 90038.

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09-30-14

Announcing: John Paul Karliak’s “Donna/Madonna” Set For Limited Run at Lounge Theatre in Hollywood

DONNA/MADONNA
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JOHN PAUL KARLIAK
DIRECTED BY TIGER REEL AND MATTHEW CRAIG
SET FOR LIMITED RUN AT HOLLYWOOD’S LOUNGE THEATRE
JULY 6 – AUGUST 10

Rizzo 39 Productions has announced a limited engagement of Donna/Madonna at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood. This new solo show, written and performed by John Paul Karliak, is directed by Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig. Donna/Madonna is set to open on Wednesday, July 6 and play a limited engagement through August 10 only.

In this autobiographical one-act, writer/performer John Paul Karliak wants desperately to be the perfect son for his adopted mother, a doting Catholic housewife from Scranton, PA. But realizing he will never be the ideal local boy, he seeks answers from a very different source: his fashion-writing, married-to-a-British-pop-star birth mother. Donna/Madonna is a tale of motherly love and finding acceptance, told through stories, songs and characters like Darth Vader, Carol Channing and John Paul’s unforgettable mothers. Hilarious and poignant, this cross-country journey from Scranton to Los Angeles shows that sometimes you have to meet a “Material Girl” to truly appreciate “America’s Sweetheart.” Donna/Madonna was the winner of the Best One Man Show Award at the 2010 United Solo Theatre Festival in New York.

John Paul Karliak’s recent film projects include Dante’s Inferno, Little Black Dress for AFI, L.T.D. (web series), and Delusions of Grandeur (TV pilot). LA theatre credits include The Mistakes Madeline Made, The Girl, the Grouch & the Goat, Into the Woods, Inherit the Wind, Women and Wallace, Whatever, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. A graduate of the USC School of Theatre, iO West and Second City Training Center, John Paul has written numerous short films and plays produced in locales around the country, including Donna/Madonna, which is his first full-length solo production.

Between them, co-directors Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig boast impressive credits in both theatre and television. Reel is the Founding Artistic Director of the Action! Theatre Company, where his directing credits include Slaughterhouse-Five (West Coast premiere), The Tempest, and Inherit the Wind, among others. He has also directed regionally and internationally. Craig has performed nationwide with The Second City Touring Company, and most recently has appeared on episodes of According to Jim, Mobbed, and The Office. He is currently a writer for Saturday Night Live.

Proceeds from Donna/Madonna will benefit Kinship Center©, a California non-profit agency dedicated to the creation, preservation and support of foster, adoptive and relative families for children who need them. Since 1984, Kinship Center© has helped create and support families for thousands of children of all ages. Kinship Center© is headquartered in Salinas, California, with facilities and services in eleven Southern California, Central Coast and Northern California counties.

The running schedule for Donna/Madonna is as follows: opening is set for Wednesday, July 6 at 8pm, and performances will continue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8pm through August 10. There will be one added performance on Monday, August 1 at 8pm. General admission seating is $20, and tickets are available now by visiting www.plays411.com/donnamadonna, or by calling (323) 960-4420. The Lounge Theatre is located at 6201 Santa Monica Boulevard (at El Centro), in Hollywood, 90038. For more info, visit www.donnamadonnashow.com.

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06-09-11

Photo of John Paul Karliak by Dennis Kwan.