SEASON 25

LIVING OUT

By Lisa Loomer

Directed by Jo Bonney

With Liza Colón-Zayas, Judith Hawking, Kathryn Meisle, Zilah Mendoza, Kelly Coffield Park, Gary Perez, Maria Elena Ramirez, Joseph Urla

Scenic Design by Neil Patel 
Costume Design by Emilio Sosa 
Lighting Design by David Weiner
Sound Design by John Gromada 
Production Stage Manager Pamela Edington 
Stage Manager Kelly Hance

World Premiere Production by Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum of Los Angeles / Artistic Director Gordon Davidson

"Finally, finally, a real play! Living Out is provocative and thrilling, an evening that reinvigorates your faith in the power of theatre!" - Ben Brantley, The New York Times

"Fresh, funny & poignant!" - John Simon, New York Magazine

"A bitingly funny new comedy! The plight of working mothers is explored from two pointedly contrasting perspectives in this sympathetic and sensitive new play." - Charles Isherwood, Variety

"Enjoyable and disturbing! Living Out is a domestic tragicomedy about money, power, love, babies and all the absurd, painful ironies that bring women together and keep them apart." - Linda Winer,Newsday

"Living Out is so contemporary! I admired the production's tightly wound coherence. Ms. Loomer supplies plenty of spot-on details, and director Jo Bonney uses every theatrical resource." - Margo Jefferson, The New York Times

 

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DINNER WITH DEMONS

Written and Performed by Jonathan Reynolds

Directed by Peter Askin

Scenic Design by Heidi Ettinger 
Lighting Design by Kevin Adams 
Sound Design by John Gromada 
Production Stage Manager Kelly Hance

This production was made possible, in part, with the generous support of All-Clad Metalcrafters, Altria, and DeLonghi.

"A delicious experience! Everything about it was magical! Dinner With Demons is the best thing I've seen all year!"— Mario Batali, Master Chef and Food Network Star

"Spectacular! Everything looks and smells scrumptious! Reynolds reminisces about his life while he whips up an elaborately prepared meal."— Donald Lyons, New York Post

"Engaging and memorable! The fragrant bouquet of fried onions, baked apples and caramelized sugar fills the theatre as Reynolds tosses and blends fears, regrets and revelations in a culinary catharsis that touches on everything from parents and children to his obsessive crush on Kim Novak."— Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press

"Seductive! The loquacious Reynolds dazzles us by effortlessly deep-frying a turkey, making a potato soufflé and cooking up a rare vegetable called cardoon, while telling us interesting stories of his family."— Jacques Le Sourd, The Journal News

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WINTERTIME

By Charles L. Mee

Directed by David Schweizer

With Tina Benko, Brienin Bryant, Marylouise Burke, Michael Cerveris, T. Scott Cunningham, Carmen de Lavallade, Chistopher Denham, Nicholas Hormann, Marsha Mason, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Paul Schoeffler

Scenic Design by Andrew Liberman
Costume Design by David Zinn 
Lighting Design by Kevin Adams 
Sound Design by Eric Shim 
Production Stage Manager Christine Lemme 
Stage Manager Kelly Hance

Wintertime was made possible, in part, with the generous support of the Axe-Houghton Foundation.

"A romp of a sex farce! Marsha Mason is a 'Dolce Vita' earth goddess in Mr. Mee's latest excursion into the whacked-out wonderland of love!" - Ben Brantley, The New York Times

"A passionate pean to mighty Eros!" - Robert Simonson, Time Out New York

"The prettiest show in town! An amusing fantasia on love. Anyone seeking refuge from the bang-bang-bling-bling world will find two hours of escape in the fanciful Wintertime." - Michael Sommers, The Star-Ledger

"Endlessly tantalizing! Mr. Mee reveals himself to be an intellectual vaudevillian, a kind of hyperliterate Marx brother." - Jeremy McCarter, The New York Sun

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AFTERBIRTH: KATHY & MO'S GREATEST HITS

Written and Performed by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy

Directed by Mark Brokaw

Scenic Design by Allen Moyer
Costume Design by Linda Ross 
Lighting  Design by Mary Louise Geiger
Sound Design by John Gottlieb 
Production Stage Manager Pamela Edington 
Assistant Stage Manager Gerald Cosgrove

Special Thanks to Susan Dietz.

"Affectionate, warm, embracing - social commentary without condescension! The empathy with which they invest their alter egos remains very much of the present. Their generosity of spirit creates a soothing retreat from the harsh comedy that rules the airwaves." - Ben Brantley, The New York Times

"A refreshing reminder of how relevant, heartwarming and - well, funny - sketch comedy can be! It's certainly a pleasure basking in the sisterly chemistry of its two stars. The duo's remarkable rapport carries the night. They seem to have an instinctive understanding of each other's comic rhythms. The older material remains fresh." - The Associated Press

"The lovable comediennes have brought back their popular sister act, mixing poignant observation of universal human truths with gently sculpted satire. It's hard not to warm to these appealingly easygoing performers, Najimy warm and bubbly, Gaffney gruff and wry." - Charles Isherwood, Variety

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2ST UPTOWN: THE TRIPLE HAPPINESS

By Brooke Berman

Directed by Michael John Garcés

With Betsy Aidem, Mark Blum, Marin Ireland, Keith Nobbs, Jesse J. Perez, Ally Sheedy

Scenic Design by Andromache Chalfant
Costume Design by Miranda Hoffman  
Lighting Design by Ben Stanton 
Sound Design by Sunil Rajan 
Production Stage Manager Kelly Hance 
Stage Manager Jennifer O'Byrne

"A splashy new play! Full of wit! The Triple Happiness leaves you feeling giddy! " - Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

"Ally Sheedy Shines! No other actress plays neurotic self-absorption as well as she does! Heavily made up and wearing a killer black dress, she manages to infuse even her reading of the name Dickens (as in Charles) with a wildly erotic charge. She's clearly having a great time, and her delight is infectious! Keith Nobbs is Hilarious as the college kid who can't believe his luck! Mark Blum and Betsey Aidem are amusing as the baffled hosts!" - Frank Scheck, New York Post

"The strong cast is charming! Ally Sheedy's performance has a spikey, appropriately disruptive force, full of domineering forthrightness of a woman accustomed to fame! Playwright Brooke Berman has a gratifyingly fleet way with quirky dialogue, and director Michael John Garcés keeps the pace sprightly with the help of Sunil Rajan's energetic, '80s-pop sound design." - Gordon Cox, Newsday

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2ST UPTOWN: THE MYSTERY PLAYS

By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Directed by Connie Grappo

With Gavin Creel, Scott Ferrara, Leslie Lyles, Mark Margolis, Heather Mazur, Peter Stadlen

Scenic Design by Sandra Goldmark 
Costume Design by Amanda Walker 
Lighting Design by S. Ryan Schmidt 
Sound Design by Daniel Baker 
Production Stage Manager Kelly Hance 
Stage Manager Nathan K. Claus

"Under Connie Grappo's fluid direction, Gavin Creel is excellent as an ordinary guy caught up in the surreal, while Scott Ferrara, at first likable, soon sends chills as a man hiding deep reservoirs of evil." - Donald Lyons, New York Post

"In this production, the director (Connie Grappo), the designers of sets, costumes, lighting and sound - and a cast of six who know how to make you feel hell will break loose any minute - all consipire to make his vision irrestistible." - D.J.R. Bruckner, The New York Times

"Under Grappo's sure-handed direction, the performances are strong, particularly Creel's subtle work in the first play. Leslie Lyles is excellent in a series of supporting roles. And Margolis is invaluable in his roles." - Jacques le Sourd, The Journal News