Aaron Gardner

Sam Shepard's 1983 black comedy 'True West' comes to life with Elite Theatre Company's searing portrayal of two brothers at war with one another. One is a struggling screenwriter, the other a parasitic bully. When the two clash, their personalities merge until you can't tell one from the other. Aaron Gardner and Sean Mason star in this devastating satire of Hollywood wannabes and a dysfunctional family relationship that runs amuck.

Putting on a play or musical is a daunting enough task, but to do it with only a handful of people and no budget, is something only the most passionate (or crazy) individuals can attempt. Brittany Danyel is a little of both - along with her partners-in-crime, the eminently talented Hanna Mitchell and Ezra Eels, Danyel, using the production name 'The 3 Maskateers,' has made an iconic, funny play even more uproarious. Their manic story of Hitchcockian espionage finishes its run this weekend at the OYES Theatre in Ojai and if you like knockabout, frenzied comedy, this is the show for you.

What do you get when you combine Alfred Hitchcock with Monty Python? The 39 Steps, a riotous adaptation of Hitchcock's memorable 1935 comic suspense film that features a cast of four actors and a minimum of everything else. The play made its debut last weekend at the OYES Theatre in Ojai and despite a shoestring budget, the creators manage to pull together the uproarious, fast-moving spy story into one of the more entertaining productions of the year.