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Sometimes you have to journey to the end of the world to find yourself. Michael Arabian directs writer/performer John Cox in The Money Fi$h, an unforgettable true story opening October 1 at the Hudson Theatres in Hollywood.
A natural raconteur with a baby face that belies the depth of his experience, Cox relates the gripping tale of his search for fortune and adventure. His yearning to belong propels him from boot camp to the Bering Sea; along the way, he must pass brutal tests and conquer his greatest fears. We learn that hell isn't hot. Hell is freezing cold, wet - and stinks like fish.
"What intrigues me about this piece is its authenticity," says Arabian. "John doesn't earn his living as an actor. He's a longshoreman working the docks of Long Beach and San Pedro, and he has an incredible story. This is the kind of work I love to direct."
John Cox grew up in Pontiac, Michigan before moving to Los Angeles at the age of thirteen. He joined the military after graduating from high school and qualified as an Army Airborne Ranger in 1991. After his service was done, John traveled to Dutch Harbor, Alaska where he worked as a commercial fisherman in the Bering Sea for three years, earning an Able-Bodied Seaman's license along the way. He moved back to L.A. to pursue his education and soon discovered a passion for acting. He studied with Larry Moss, who inspired him to write his own story - a process that has taken him over five years to complete - and he graduated from the South Coast Repertory Acting Intensive Program. John has been a member of the I.L.W.U. (longshoreman's union) for fifteen years, working at the ports of L.A./Long Beach, where his main job is driving cranes.
Michael Arabian has directed and produced numerous world, West Coast, Los Angeles and New York premieres, and his productions have garnered over 50 awards. Most recently, he directed dance icon Leslie Caron in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at the Laguna Playhouse; Red, starring John Vickery, at San Diego Rep; and God of Carnage at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts for McCoyRigby Entertainment. His production of Waiting for Godot at the Mark Taper Forum was honored with five Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards including outstanding production and direction; was nominated for 10 Ovations, including best production, winning five; and was cited as one of the two most memorable productions of 2012 seen in either New York or L.A. by Los Angles Times theater critic Charles McNulty. Other Taper productions directed by Michael include Beckett's Krapps Last Tape, Albee's The Sandbox, Pinter's A Slight Ace and workshops of new works. His site-specific company, Theatre InSite, formed a partnership with CBS (Radford) Studios, a first for L.A. theater, to produce live TV pilots (with Third Rock from the Sun picked up) and inventive, large-scale productions such as an updated Romeo and Juliet In which audiences followed scenes and car chases through the backlot's suburban streets, and The Trojan Women, set during the Gulf War and staged in 400,000 gallons of water at the old Gilligan's Island Lagoon. His film King of the Ants is distributed by Vanguard Cinema.
Set design for 'The Money Fi$h is by John Iacovelli; lighting design is by Leigh Allen; sound design is by Julie Ferrin; costume consultant is Michael Mullen; and graphic design is by Doug Haverty. The stage manager is Angelica Estevez, and Mike Abramson produces.
The Money Fi$h opens on Thursday, Oct. 1 with additional performances that week on Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3, all at 8 p.m. Subsequent performances will take place on Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m through Nov. 22. There will be three preview performances, on Monday, Sept, 28; Tuesday, Sept. 29; and Wednesday, Sept. 30, all at 8 p.m. All tickets are $20. The Hudson Theatres are located at 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038. For information and to purchase tickets, call (323) 960-7780 or go to themoneyfishplay.com.
