BATTLE HYMN Gets Extended Through 3/7 At The Ford

Battle Hymn, Jim Leonard's critically acclaimed fantastical epic that follows a young girl's amazing pregnancy and kaleidoscopic journey through history, has been extended through March 7 at the 87-seat [Inside] the Ford in Hollywood.

The Circle X world premiere production stars Suzy Jane Hunt as the teenager who remains pregnant for 150 years while searching America for a safe time and place to have her baby. Playing multiple roles in the gender and race-bending allegory are Bill Heck; Robert Manning, Jr.; William Salyers; and John Short. John Langs directs.

In its "Critic's Choice" review, the Los Angeles Times calls Battle Hymn "refreshingly original, smart and engaging [with] whimsical staging, a superb cast and inventive visual flair." In the LA Weekly, theater critic Steven Leigh Morris writes, "a ravishing production [that] underscores the cosmic scale of our great American work in progress." L.A. Citybeat's Don Shirley marveled that Battle Hymn "exemplifies the zeitgeist of this inaugural week. Watching parts of the Lincoln Memorial concert last Sunday afternoon, I wondered if theater could deliver entertainment that would be equally appropriate for this moment. 'Battle Hymn' answered my question."

Battle Hymn is the story of sixteen-year-old Martha who, pregnant and ostracized, travels through and fights in the Civil War in search of her baby's father. Her experiences lead her to settle on one incontrovertible fact: she will not raise her baby in a blood-soaked, violent country. Instead, Martha stays pregnant for over a century, until she winds up in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury circa 1967. For a moment Martha thinks she's landed in heaven, but before she knows it, half the world is at war once again. From the mud and the blood of Fort Sumter to singing cows and the summer of love, Martha's journey embodies the tragedy, humor and hope that have shaped the last 150 years of U.S. history.

Battle Hymn continues Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm and 7 pm through March 7 at [Inside] the Ford, located in the Ford Theatres complex at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068 (just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios). General admission is $20; student tickets are $12; Sunday matinee performances at 2 pm are Pay-What-You-Can; on-site, non-stacked parking is free. For reservations and information, call the Ford Theatres Box Office at 323.461.3673 (323.GO1.FORD) or go to www.FordTheatres.org.