Photo Flash: First Look at I AM CHARLIE at The Promenade Playhouse
Playwright Stephen A. Cardinal's intriguing drama takes place in the afterlife, where we are granted an audience with the ranting, raving, crazy-eyed murderer and cult leader Charlie Manson.
Cardinal's stylish piece, harrowingly executed by Joe Le Mieux with maximum intensity and commitment, is a striking tour de force, though. It's less a Wikipedia biography of the iconic madman than an attempt to place Manson's existence in context - as if you're trapped in a room with him and have no choice but to listen to his raving. The result is a show that boasts a palpable sense of danger. Nothing makes for an absurdist evening of drama more than watching someone being Charlie Mansion.
I AM CHARLIE runs September 14 - October 21, 2018, at The Promenade Playhouse. Located at 1404 3rdStreet Promenade, Santa Monica, CA. 90401. Performances will be Friday & Saturday 8:00PM, and Sunday 2:00PM. General Admission: $35.00 on sale: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/359851. information: www.promenadeplayhouse.comor call (310) 656-8070 and www.plays411.com/iamcharlie
The plot uses stage devices and audio-visual technology to immerse the audience as participants. (Photo credit: Tom Waters)
The distance between fact and fiction is reduced, mimicking the blurring of truth and fiction in contemporary news media. (Photo credit: Tom Waters)
I Am Charlie is NOT the play you were expecting about Charles Manson. It looks at the Charles Manson story (Among other things) through the mind of Charlie himself. (Photo credit: Tom Waters)
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