Friday, March 1, 2019

Plays I'd Like to See - March 2019

I've been asked to list plays that I'd like to see produced in Los Angeles.  Trying to do such.  Maybe some dramaturgs or directors out there will be impressed/inspired.  We'll see.


Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neil.  This is actually a cycle of plays based on The Oresteia, the only complete tragic trilogy we have from Ancient Greece.  O'Neil, a genuinely tormented soul, retells the story of Agamemnon and his wife in terms of the American Civil War, a generational tale of tragedy and (like the original) guilt. "The Homecoming" "The Hunted" and "The Haunting" make up almost nine intense hours of theatre, so represents a real challenge quite apart from the period costumes and sets.  But it remains one of his seminal works, a bridge between the modern and the ancient, born out of imagination fed with dysfuction and tragedy pretty much from the womb.  It offers amazing roles for both men and women, and feels universal enough to easily accommodate non-traditional casting.




Psycho Beach Party by Charles Busch is a wild and wacky comedy, essentially fusing together the genres of Gidget and Slasher movies.  That it includes drag queens (or is supposed to) just adds to the hilarious absurdity.  I think tix to this might sell like hotcakes, and would so adore seeing it once more!

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