Loose Knit/by Theresa Rebeck/directed by L Flint Esquerra/Group Rep, NoHo/through September 8
Will the play be like Steel Magnolias? I queried. But...there are two male actors onboard. Well, as it turns out Loose Knit provides far more entertainment than I expected and presents a myriad of thought provoking ideas, not only about dating, but about the politics of America and how it works or does not. Currently onstage at Grou Rep, Loose Knit should be a great big winner, because of the astute writing, the dynamite seven member ensemble and superior direction from L Flint Esquerra.
Five women meet regularly at Gina's (Lisa McGee Mann) apartment to knit...actually, some to knit, some to talk. Gina is a lawyer and professes to want to knit only, but is keeping a secret deep down that is about to rattle her nerves. Two sisters Lily
The Group Rep presents LOOSE KNIT, written by Theresa Rebeck, directed by L. Flint Esquerra, produced by Katelyn Ann Clark, a seductively smart, dark comedy about women who, once a week gather to knit. As the sweaters pile up, their lives fall apart. August 2 - September 8, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm, Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm, at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood.
Director L Flint Esquerra has directed two Tennessee Williams' plays A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Group Rep Theatre in NoHo in the last few years to great acclaim. He is currently directing their next production Loose Knit set to open August 2. In our conversation Esquerra talks about the play in detail.
Did you direct Loose Knit before? I understand that this is a revival production.
No, have never directed this show before. I think 'revival' may be a bit of a misnomer, in the sense that, yes, it was done somewhere else sometime before and now it's being done here, but no, none of our cast or crew has ever worked on it prior.
Tell our readers what the play is about.
Homeward LA is a 10-day citywide event from April 26 - May 5, where multiple productions of monologues based on stories from people who have experienced homelessness will be performed by actors all around the city. Join The Group Rep for one of over 50 productions happening throughout the Los Angeles area! Together we will experience stories from the lives of those who strive to find their way home, increase awareness around the homeless crisis facing Los Angeles, and raise funds for The Midnight Mission, an amazing nonprofit organization on Skid Row. Some material contains adult themes and language.
The time is 1947. The place, England. Politics abound with the murder of an heir to a foreign throne, hunting a jewel thief. At the Chimneys Estate we find in residence Lord Caterham (Lloyd Pedersen), friend Lottie Lomax (Michelle Schultz), and visitor Virginia Revel (Stasha Surdyke), highly suspect...as is Cade (Lee Grober) who seems to be in love with Virginia. On the surface he's investigating a blackmail against her for scripting some mysterious letters.
From the very top of James McClure's one-act Laundry and Bourbon, best friends Elizabeth (Savannah Shoenecker) and Hattie (Kristin Towers-Rowles) gossip in heavy Texas accents and drink bourbon with such fierce intensity that you will end up either loving or hating them; there is no in-between. Midway Amy Lee (Sarah Zuk) makes her entrance. She is quieter but also creates trouble in her own irritating way.What is it about comedies set in the deep South? Steel Magnolias and Crimes of the Heart pull us in the same way. The women put their claws out yet support one another and have hearts of gold ... and their men? We hear about them via their wives. They act like jerks, love to talk sex in raw detail and treat their cars with more love and respect than their spouses. Unlike the other plays, we actually see the men, apart from their wives, for there is a male companion piece to Laundry and Bourbon. It's entitled Lone Star, after the beer, and it presents Elizabeth's husband Roy (Nick Paonessa), maladjusted since his service in Viet Nam, his younger and weaker brother Ray (R.J. DeBard) and like his wife Amy Lee, the outsider in the group, her husband Skeeter (Todd Andrew Ball).
The Group Rep opens its 45th Season with two James McLure one-act comedies, LAUNDRY AND BOURBON and LONE STAR, directed by Barbara Brownell, produced by Lloyd Pedersen. Three young women who are neighbors and friends share drinks and hard truths about life, love, and marriage while doing laundry on a very hot day. In another part of town three men beat-the-heat in the backyard of a bar as the local high school hero, recently returned after a hitch in Vietnam, details his military and amorous exploits. Laughs are shared, souls are bared.
While a number of restaurants are offering up free meals for Federal workers on furlough due to the government shutdown, The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre is jumping in to offer a pair of free tickets to a show.
The Group Rep's well received production of Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York, has been extended due to critical acclaim and sold out houses. The play about five neurotic couples who gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary, goes wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. Confusions and miscommunications mount, as the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play, which opened June 15, will run through August 11th at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.
The Group Rep's production of Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep, was well received opening weekend. RUMORS centers around five neurotic couples who gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play opened June 15 and runs through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Theatre and Arts District.
North Hollywood's Lonny Chapman Theatre was packed Friday night for the opening of Neil Simon's RUMORS. This classic farce followed five couples that had all been invited to a dinner party to celebrate a sixth couple's 10th anniversary. However, everything changed when the couples discover the host (Charlie) had shot himself, his servants and hostess were missing, and dinner hadn't been prepared. What divulged was utter nonsense and hilarity.
The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep. Five neurotic couples gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play runs June 15 through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.
The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep. Five neurotic couples gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play runs June 15 through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.
The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep. Five neurotic couples gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play runs June 15 through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.
The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's classic farce RUMORS, directed by Doug Engalla, produced by Alyson York for the Group Rep. Five neurotic couples gather for a dinner party celebrating one couple's 10th anniversary. The best laid plans go wildly awry when guests arrive early only to discover their host has shot himself, the hostess and servants are missing, and dinner not ready. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity. The play runs June 15 through July 29 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.
The Chinese Wall/by Max Frisch/translated by James L. Rosenberg/Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre, NoHo/directed by Larry Eisenberg/through March 11
Suffice to say, The Chinese Wall by Max Frisch, written in 1946, after Hitler and World War II, is a cluttered play about facism and those who revolt against it. Its message is repetitious, and the play goes on much too long, but Group Rep's vibrantly colorful production boasts a wonderful cast of 20 actors under the superb direction of Larry Eisenberg through March 11.
Thousands of souls have their final resting place in Altadena's Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery but, once a year in the fall, the living invade the domain of the dead. That's when Unbound Productions' WICKED LIT takes over the grounds and creates a site-specific theatrical experience based on classic and original horror stories. It is unlike any other kind of theatre or Halloween event you've ever seen and it is seriously the coolest thing you can do in Southern California. Ask anyone who's done it.
Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the details for WICKED LIT 2017, the company's 9th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 8th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California.
Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the details for WICKED LIT 2017, the company's 9th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 8th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California. Tickets will go on sale this week.
It is easy to find a play today about family dysfunction but one with a totally unpredictable and engrossing story line? Think again! Brent Beerman has come up with one called A Dull Pain Turned Sharp now onstage at Group rep in NoHo. The title may sound offputting but what audience have in store is witnessing a wonderful bonding experience with a top notch cast and meticulous direction from Kay Cole currently through June 4.
