When Tony “accidentally” brings his conservative parents over for dinner a night too early, all hell breaks loose as the polished socialites clash with the chaos and disorder of the Sycamore clan, which raised the roof with laughter thanks to Cate Caplin’s spot-on direction and the impeccable comedic timing instilled in her perfectly-cast ensemble.
Here Be Dragons, a new play written and directed by Charlie Mount, will open at Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, California. The production will run on Wednesday evenings as a limited engagement.
WestFest 2025 will present four full weekends of shows, a different presentation each week, to entice the loyal audiences who have returned for WestFest every year. Learn more and see how to attend!
Becky's New Car, a comedy by Steven Dietz, will be presented at Theatre Forty in a production directed by Cape Caplin. The play runs May 15- June 15, 2025.
A reading of The Case-Book of Auguste Dupin, adapted by John Strysik and based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, will be presented by Theatre 40 (241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212 on Monday, March 31, 2025 at 7 p.m..
MURDER AFTER HOURS is exquisitely well done and will keep you guessing up until the affecting and surprising end. It’s well worth spending an evening in the British countryside among the snipes and snubs of the upper class at the Lonny Chapman.
Next up for The Group Rep, Agatha Christie’s Murder After Hours opening August 2, 2024, at their Lonny Chapman Theatre. Jules Aaron directs the cast of: Patrick Anthony, Joe Clabby, Roslyn Cohn, John Combs, Jason Culp, Megan Deford, Rebecca Del Sesto, Meghan Lewis, Michael Robb, Dani Thompson, Chris Winfield and Gina Yates. Dani made some time before opening to answer a few of my queries.
The Explorers Club, written by Nell Benjamin, directed by Melanie MacQueen, and produced by David Hunt Stafford, will be presented at Theatre 40. Learn how to purchase tickets.
The world premiere of John Strysik’s Power and Light is currently running in rep at Theatre 40. Jeff G. Rack directs this story of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla in the beginnings of electricity with the cast of David Hunt Stafford, Eric Keitel, Warren Davis, John Combs, Richard Large, Bailey Castle, Mandy Fason and Kurtis Bedford. Jeff graciously made time out of his multi-tasking weekend to answer a few of my queries.
Theatre Forty's popular series of Monday Night Theatre Appreciation Seminars is resuming. Learn more about the series!
'Power and Light' is a new play about the rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla in the development of electricity. Tickets are $35.
Theatre 40’s hit immersive drama The Manor- Murder and Madness at Greystone returns for its nineteenth season at the Greystone Mansion January 18, 2024. Martin Thompson directs the cast of Darby Hinton, Eric Keitel, Daniel Leslie, Carol Potter, Nathalie Rudolph, David Hunt Stafford, Amy Tolsky, John Combs, Katyana Rocker-Cook, Gail Johnston, Kristin Towers-Rowles and Peter Mastine. John managed to carve out some time to answer a few of my queries.
The Manor- Murder and Madness at Greystone is by now a Los Angeles/Beverly Hills institution. The play, returning for a nineteenth season, surpassed its 200th performance in 2014. This will mark its first engagement since 2020.
Giggs and Diddy are set to deliver a groundbreaking performance at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, come Tuesday, November 7th. This collaboration brings together two titans of the hip-hop and music world for a special one-night-only event, creating a ‘not to be missed’ experience for fans.
Towards Zero, a mystery thriller is now playing at Theatre 40. Adapted for the stage by Agatha Christie and Gerald Verner, this mystery thriller explores the psychology of jealousy amidst a savage murder. Catch the show from September 21 to October 22, 2023, in Beverly Hills. Reserve your tickets now!
Next up for Theatre 40, Agatha Christies’ Toward Zero opens September 21, 2023. Craig Hissong directs this classic whodunnit with the cast of includes John Combs, Katyana Rocker Cook, Christopher Franciosa, Hisato Matsuyama, Michael Mullen, Kristin Towers Rowles, Jeremy Schaye, Michele Schultz, Holly Sidell and David Hunt Stafford. A master of many theatrical positions, Craig carved out some time to give me some clues to the behind the scenes of Towards Zero.
David Hunt Stafford (pictured) is the Artistic Director and Managing Director of Theatre 40, posts he has proudly held since 2000 at the professional theater company located on the campus of Beverly Hills High School. I decided to speak with David about the current plays running in rep during July and August: Doris and Ivy in the Home, in which he appears, and One Moment of Freedom which he produces; and the group’s ongoing Reading Series showcasing new and well-known plays read by company members.
Metromaniacs aren't people who are crazy about subways. They are people who are nuts about poetry, i.e. verse composed in meter. David Ives' play The Metromaniacs is an English language adaptation of a French farce from 1738, La Metromaie, and it is set in Paris in that year, a moment when there was a particular craze for poetry. Ives' play is performed in English, in rhyming couplets.
Theatre 40 will present a play reading on YouTube of a new work by John Strysik, Power & Light. Thomas Edison and Nikolai Tesla: The War That Lit the World. Pioneering scientists in electronics, they were rivals with differing viewpoints on delivering energy. Edison was about the money, while Tesla was more a believer in free energy for all. Commerce won.
On Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. PST, Theatre Forty will present a reading on Zoom of a new comedy, The Best Revenge, by Michael Halperin.
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