Results tagged “play”

       

Beau Willimon's Farragut North, now onstage in its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse, begins first with a burst of layered noise courtesy a handful of media outlets and their various talking heads rehashing political talking points, and then is followed by the noise of a group of four ambitious people talking rehashing politics and the media--their bread and butter--in an Iowa bar.

Many of us would like to count ourselves as 'politically active'. We are an intelligent country, made up of many of the same demographics as seen in other Western countries. We have the students, the high prices, the motivations, and the anger. We just don't have the riots. Excluding recent racial developments in Oakland and the occasional big sports victory, our 'political activism' may well better be titled 'political pacification'. This isn't Spain, or France, and it sure as hell isn't Greece, where protests and work stoppages are routine. How sad is it that, as a people, we'll flip cop cars for Super Bowls but not suicide missions in Iraq. Not for deception in D.C. President Obama has brought a lot of his hope to America, but it took eight years, and there are many broken social stairs to reclimb before we reach the heights we once enjoyed. But this is not a promotion of rioting. Far from it.

Hindsight, as we all know, is 20/20; the clarity of succeeding events allows us a sharper and more focused analysis of inciting incidents. But is it possible for the incident itself to have a level of focus all its own, without the benefit of future knowledge? Maybe that first decision can really be seen with 20/10 clarity; not in the sense that all known variables and outcomes will be laid out and correctly predicted, but with a very sharp understanding of the importance of the decision itself at the time it is made. What if the decision you have to make is an unpopular one, perhaps by a wide margin? There is heightened clarity in the immediacy of the decision itself, and it’s understanding of short-term consequences. At that point, the future is hazy and relatively unknown, but the present is crystal clear.

In the entertainment world, the leap from stage to screen can often be a tumultuous one. There are tantalizingly few Dustin Hoffman-Willie Lowman shining stars to help playwrights navigate the dark and treacherous cinema seas. There are no Angels in America lighthouses with which to shore up for a time. Which is why, sad to say, many a play-to-film adaptation simply s(t)inks.

"Months on End," playing at the Tre Stage on La Brea at Sunset this is a treat -- a great indie theater find with a strong script and a great cast. We attended the show last Friday where we watched 12 months of happiness and heartache unfold.

By Roger Park

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First brought to the boards of Broadway in 1975, Michael Bennett's stark, blunt, and brilliant musical about being in musicals became one of the longest-running musicals of all-time. Now in revival after over a decade's absence on the Great White Way, the national touring company of A Chorus Line has landed in LA's Ahmanson Theatre for a limited engagement.

For those of us who would prefer to have cheap drinks at a happier hour than early evening, The Mint has the answer: Midnight Happy Hour. Finlandia drinks are only a $1.

Playing this weekend at the Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica is (The last three performances of) Lee Blessing's Two Rooms directed by Jamie Wollrab. The Pulitzer nominated play features Dominic Hoffman, Susanna Hall, Greta Seacat, Caleb Moody and music by MC Rai.