AN EVENING WITH JOHN WILKES BOOTH Comes to Theatre West
WHAT: An Evening with John Wilkes Booth. A solo play.
WHO: Written by Lloyd J. Schwartz and Clinton Case. Directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz. Starring Stephen Spiegel. Presented by Theatre West.
WHERE: Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068. This is near North Hollywood, Universal City and Studio City. Parking is available for $5 in a lot across the street. There is also some street parking.
WHEN: Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
ADMISSION: $25.
RESERVATIONS: (323) 851-7977.
ONLINE TICKETING: www.theatrewest.org
ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes, plus an intermission.
CONSUMER ADVISORY: For ages 12 to Adult.
John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) was notable on several accounts. He was a successful and wealthy actor, and member of a celebrated show business family (son of Junius Brutus Booth and brother to Edwin and Junius Jr.). One critic called him "the handsomest man in America." Walt Whitman called him a genius. But this Booth would ultimately become known as the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.
In An Evening with John Wilkes Booth, you'll get to meet the man and learn what he thought and what motivated him: his rivalry with his more-celebrated brother Edwin (who was a Unionist); John's love for the South, and his hated of Lincoln. You'll hear of the initial failed plot to kidnap Lincoln, and of the subsequent plans to not only kill Lincoln but also other political and military figures as well. You'll see what happened when Booth begins his flight from retribution after his bloody deed and observe the final outcome for Booth when his pursuers find him.
Stephen Spiegel portrays Booth. His previous stage credits include The Cause My Soul (a prequel to Othello), The Journals of Osborne P. Anderson, Blood in the Cat's Neck, Down in Front, and God help us. Recent film credits include Obsessed, Mountain Man, Out of the Blue. You may have seen him in one of his 20 national commercials. He trained at American Conservatory Theatre. He is a member of the Fierce Backbone Theatre Company.
Lloyd J. Schwartz is director and co-writer. Beginning with his co-authorship of The Nearlyweds (the first play specifically written for dinner theatre) he has written and/or directed a wide range of plays...everything from the one-man drama An Evening with John Wilkes Booth to the musical The Phantom of the Opry to Classic Couples Counseling (a play about Shakespearean couples in therapy) to Gilligan's Island: The Musical and A Very Brady Musical. With his wife Barbara, Lloyd created the long-running (35 years) Storybook Theatre at Theatre West. He has also had 34 produced plays. Additionally, he has produced television shows and feature films.
Clinton Case is the co-writer. Case thoroughly researched the life and career of Booth, gaining access to area of Ford's Theatre in Washington not open to the public, as well as literally following Booth's footsteps in the boardinghouses and swamps where he trod. Case was an actor and stand-up comedian. He died in February, 2018.
This show played in 2017 at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and won the Producers' Award. The play also received a nomination for best solo show.
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