Feature: BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL PEACE TALKS at Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre

Remember the advertising slogan, "The Gift That Keeps on Giving"?  It originated in the 1920's to promote the newly invented phonograph by the Victor Talking Machine Company. It was so effective that RCA Victor resurrected it in 1963 as a Christmas season advertisement.  Well, in the spirit of "I wish I had thought of that," I am borrowing the slogan in reference to the Origins New Works Program by Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre.  Origins truly is a gift that keeps on giving.

Last season, Coachella Valley theatergoers were introduced to Gregg Ostrin's play Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks as one of the four readings in the Origins program.  Each performance is a gift to the audience that attends at no charge (by special arrangement with AEA) the reading of a new play.  Origins is a gift to authors who see, hear, and experience their work on its feet, allowing them to determine whether the play is finished or a work in progress.

One of each season's four plays is chosen for a full production during the following season.  The world premiere of Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks was chosen as Coachella Valley Rep's 2025 season finale, running May 22 to June 1.

It was a privilege to interview playwright Gregg Ostrin.  I came away with the notion that if the subject matter of Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks were ever to be dramatized, Gregg was the one to do it.  The play takes place in 1968, ten years before the Camp David Accords between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.  During ther filming of Funny Girl, a brouhaha erupts both in Hollywood and in Egypt because of a publicity photo of its stars--Egyptian actor Omar Sharif and American Jewish singer-actor Barbara Steisand.

As the situation devolves into an international incident, a negotiator from the studio and one from the Egyptian government are dispatched to reconcile circumstances that appear at the outset to be irreconciliable.  If you imagine "international incident" to be a precursor to a shoot-'em'-up war, it could be.  What will it take for individuals with disparate agendas to resolve a serious conflict with implications that persist today?  Can they each overcome prejudice and develop a conscience?

During our interview, Ostrin explained that his own life experiences were instrumental in his creating conflicted characters and clarifying issues which have both historical and contemporary relevance.  Judging by audience reception at the reading, Ostrin has mastered the skill of dramatizing the emotional struggle with sensitivity, insight, and humor.  I will be back in June with a review of the production. For further information, go to cvrep.org.

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