Ken Rohts Same-O, A 99 Only Electric Ballad @Bootleg Theater [extended]

[GreenGal]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 2:29pm

Bootleg Theater is excited to announce the brand new Ken Roht's Same-O, A 99 Cents Only Electric Ballad, once again bringing together the award-winning creative team of Roht, John Ballinger and Ann Closs-Farley for an outrageous holiday production. Previous 99 Cents Only shows have been critically acclaimed as a "bedazzlement of theater action and peanut gallery voyeurism" (LA Times) and "mix of heady surrealism, marvelously inventive choreography, unabashed camp, and delightful whimsy" (Backstage West). Costumes, sets and moving sculptures in this progressive multimedia music event will once again incorporate traditional 99 Cents Only Store fare, with the addition of recycled and sustainable materials this year. The interdisciplinary extravaganza, with a cast of 18 diverse performers, runs thru January 30, 20100 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00pm nightly with Sunday matinees only at 3:00pm. Doors open one hour before each show -- audiences are welcome to arrive early for pre-show socializing over a beverage in Bootleg's beer and wine bar. General admission tickets are $25; students/seniors $18. Bootleg neighbors living in the 90057 zip code can purchase a ticket for 99 cents with proof of address (driver's license, utility bill, etc.) Bootleg Theater is located at 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057. For more information please call 213-389-3856 or visit www.bootlegtheater.com.

Despite the name, Same-O is not the same-o same-o. While this year's whimsical spectacle still has the same type of wildly imaginative score, costumes and choreography as in years past, key differences include an overall tone that takes more chances conceptually by exploring the issue of graceful co-existence and costumes made from paper products. "For years, the 99 Cents Only shows have blithely glorified plastic and I thought we needed to do our part to promote ethical consumerism," says Roht.

The 2010 production takes the audience on a hero's journey with two very different young men, Eddie and Fred, who end up getting married. While narrative elements such as this exist in the production, the work functions more as abstract art in the Surrealist tradition, or even as progressive dance theater, than traditional linear theater. "Logic is not of paramount importance or even necessarily appreciated," says Roht.

Ken Roht's Same-O, A 99 Cents Only Electric Ballad Credits --
Producers: Alicia Adams, Corbett Barklie, and Jessica Hanna for Bootleg Theater
Writer/Director: Ken Roht
Choreographer: Ken Roht
Co-Composers: John Ballinger and Ken Roht
Music, Dance, and Vocal Arrangements: John Ballinger
Music Direction: John Ballinger
Costume Designer: Ann Closs-Farley
Asst. Costume Designer: Anne Hothem
Set Designer: David Offner
Technical Director: Jon Stoner
Lighting Designer: Brandon Baruch
Stage Manager: Alyssa Escalante
Video Designer: John Flynn
Visual Artists: Doron Gazit, Clare Graham, Wen Wen Hsu, Kiff Scholl, and Penny Young

Cast: Erin Anderson, Michael Bonnabel, Sissy Boyd, Tucker Bryan, Max Faugno, Stephen Heath, Spencer Kelly, Tracey A. Leigh, Julie Marie Lewis, Daniele Manzin, Lucie McGrane, John Charles Meyer, Lori Scarlett, Lake Sharp, Raul Staggs, Daniele Watts, Jonathan CK Williams, and Silvie Zamora









Full Press Release for Same-O Updated On: 12/30/10 at 02:29 PM

[GreenGal]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:04pm

Same-O has been extended thru January 30!! :)

In image: Cast members Michael Bonnabel, from left, Daniele Watts, Max Faugno and John Charles Meyer hit the stage. Photo by Cheryl A. Guerrero for Brand X.


Check out images of this year's production in Brand X