Hollywood and Broadway to Appear at the Hollywood Fringe Festival

After its critically acclaimed run at the Hudson Theatres this past February/March, the Hotel Astor opens its doors once again to Gloria Swanson (played by Kat Brower) and Tallulah Bankhead (played by Olivia Choate) who both come out of retirement for the return of Hollywood and Broadway, Gloria & Tallulah Talk! for four performances as Teatro De La O makes its "Fringe" debut with the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Hollywood collides with Broadway in this hilarious world premiere comedy. Set in 1951 at the famous but now defunct Hotel Astor in New York City, legendary stars Tallulah Bankhead and Gloria Swanson are set to receive the prestigious Page One Award for Entertainment. Both actresses are introduced by Ms. Aileen Pringle but with a snooping butler and a overeager reception clerk, mayhem and lunacy ensue as both actresses compete to be the Diva of the evening.

The entire original team reunites for the Hollywood and Broadway Fringe run including Kat Brower as Gloria Swanson, Olivia Choate as Tallulah Bankhead, Christina Lemon as Aileen Pringle, Terrence Gene Taylor as Lucas Wensel; a snooping butler and Danny Menendez as Thomas Reilly Bradford; a Hotel Clerk. Lighting up the Hotel Astor is Steve Pope (Is There Sex After Marriage) who helms as the Lighting Designer, Stage Raw award winner Christopher Moscatiello (Penelope) created the sound effects, Ricardo Mora who received rave reviews for Teatro De La O's prior production of Hollywood Party is the Production Designer and portraits of Gloria Swanson and Tallulah Bankhead were created by Hugo Gocha. Mike Abramson returns as Producer and the show is written and directed by Octavio Carlin, who, with his keen sense of fashion also designed the costumes for the production.

Octavio Carlin has made a name for himself as a "Fashion Designer to the Stars," having designed red carpet dresses for such notable Hollywood celebrities as Anne Hathaway, Sharon Stone and Toni Braxton to name a few. He was selected as a finalist in the 2011 Oscars Designer Challenge and his dresses have been featured in such world renowned publications as British Glamour, FALUNT, and the Los Angeles Times. Octavio Carlin formed Teatro de la O in order to bridge the gap between fashion and theatre. When asked why he decided to make the transition to live theatre, he explains "I grew up in Mexico doing live theatre. Once I came to L.A., I enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and then to UCLA in the Directing program where I did a short film. So, after all this time, all comes full circle and I decided to go back to my first love and passion. writing and doing live theatre."

The 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival marks Teatro De La O's debut with Fringe and Octavio could not be more excited. "Hollywood Fringe came up as a suggestion by one of the Hollywood and Broadway cast members, and since I was curious about the festival, and looking into other ways to network and be part of the theatre world in Los Angeles, I decided that it would be a great experience. Not to mention, the actors are so motivated and happy performing the play that any other opportunity to have the show up and running is great for them." Carlin explains,

Hollywood and Broadway: Gloria & Tallulah Talk! runs four performances at The Hudson Theatres as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival; 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038. Performances occur on Sunday June 14th @ 9:00 PM, Saturday June 20th @ 11:00 AM, Sunday June 21st @ 11:00 AM and Tuesday June 23rd @ 10:00 PM. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.hff15.org/2391 or www.hollywoodfringe.org.