KPCC: L.A. Theatre Works

Misalliance

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:55:02 -0800

A young aristocrat is engaged to a young woman with a disapproving middle-class family. But as two sides struggle to reconcile their differences, an unexpected visitor literally crashes into their lives. Eric Stoltz, Roger Rees, and Serena Scott Thomas star in Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw.

The Heiress

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:10:05 -0800

In the upscale New York neighborhood of Washington Square, a naive young woman falls for a handsome, penniless man. Is he a love-struck suitor - or a fortune hunter stalking his prey? The truth will forever change a family's fortunes in The Heiress by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, based on Washington Square by Henry James. Starring Amy Irving and Chris Noth.

Hay Fever

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:15:43 -0800

Three members of an idiosyncratic family are expecting company at their countryside estate. But when their unsuspecting guests arrive, they find that a weekend with the Bliss family is anything but. Hay Fever by Noel Coward, starring Tate Donovan, Jeffrey Jones, Eric Stoltz, and Carolyn Seymour.

New Jerusalem

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:24:56 -0800

As a young Jewish man in 17th century Amsterdam, Baruch de Spinoza excelled as a theological student; but as he encountered free-thinking Protestants, atheists, and radicals in this relatively tolerant city, he began to question his religion and the nature of God. As a result, he was branded a heretic and faced excommunication. Edward Asner, Richard Easton, and Matthew Wolf star in New Jerusalem by David Ives.

Sight Unseen

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:34:46 -0800

A renowned painter drops in on an old flame as he prepares to mount a major new exhibition. But his former lover's new husband can't mask his contempt . . . while she herself must wrestle with complicated feelings about his sudden arrival. Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies, starring Adam Arkin and Anna Gunn.

The Grapes of Wrath

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:06:21 -0800

During the Great Depression, the promise of work in California lured farmers out of the drought-ravaged Midwest. But for many, the conditions they faced in the Golden State were no better than what they had left behind. Shirley Knight and Jeffrey Donovan star in John Steinbeck's timeless work about Dust Bowl America: The Grapes of Wrath.

Macbeth

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:38:57 -0800

One of the darkest and most unsparing tragedies from the pen of William Shakespeare. In the Kingdom of Scotland, a ferocious young general is on the rise, when he receives an arresting prophecy for his future. And as Macbeth and his ambitious wife plot their course, his kingdom - and sanity - hang in the balance. Macbeth by William Shakespeare, starring James Marsters and Joanne Whalley.

Lobby Hero

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:18:26 -0800

Two menial security guards are embroiled in an unexpected family fiasco . . . and the local beat police are divided by their own romantic and political allegiances. Tate Donovan, Emily Swallow, Michael Weston, and Cedric Sanders star in Kenneth Lonergan's striking and funny crime drama, "Lobby Hero."

The Rivals

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:18:55 -0700

A comedy of manners . . . as in BAD manners, complete with assumed identities, romantic entanglements, and an absurd character whose name has become synonymous with the misuse of words: Mrs. Malaprop. Lloyd Owens, Lucy Davis, and Rosalind Ayres star in The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

War of the Worlds/The Lost World

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:57:42 -0700

Join actors from Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation as they recreate this classic radio thriller. The breathless pace and convincing details make it clear why the 1938 broadcast of an ""eyewitness report"" of an invasion from Mars caused a nationwide panic. And then afterward, Sir Arthur Conan Doyles rollicking adventure tale follows a scientific expedition deep into the Amazon jungle right back into the time of dinosaurs and cave men. Before Jurassic Park, before Indiana Jones - there was The Lost World!

Dracula

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 06:00:04 -0700

One of the most classic horror stories of all time comes to life with a chilling and sound-rich ensemble performance led by David Selby, John Glover, and Simon Templeman. Dracula by Bram Stoker. Adapted for the stage by Charles Morey.

Abundance

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:11:41 -0700

In the late 1860's, two mail-order brides are preparing to be married off to two very different men. And as they set out together into the wilds of Wyoming Territory, their lives become intertwined . . . for better and for worse. Abundance by Beth Henley. Starring JoBeth Williams, Amy Madigan, Steven Weber, and Gary Cole.

Unquestioned Integrity: The Hill-Thomas Hearings and Atwater: Fixin to Die

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:46:02 -0700

L.A. Theatre Works presents two slices of American history. First, the incendiary Supreme Court confirmation of Clarence Thomas in "Unquestioned Integrity: The Hill-Thomas Hearings" by Mame Hunt, starring Paul Winfield, Ella Joyce, and Edward Asner. Then, the story of an infamous, guitar-picking political strategist in "Atwater: Fixin to Die," starring Gregory Itzin.

Death of a Salesman

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:05:40 -0700

Once he was a successful businessman. But now, at 60, he's lost his job and his self-respect. And as he escapes into his daydreams, his sanity and his family life disintegrates. Arthur Miller's 1949 Pulitzer Prize winner comes to life with Stacy Keach as Willy Loman and Jane Kaczmarek as his wife Linda, in "Death of Salesman."

Three Sisters

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 02:08:13 -0700

A classic story about the passage of time and the survival of hope. It's the turn of the century in a provincial Russian town, and three sisters are feeling the passage of time. But when a new infantry arrives in their village, their dreams for the future flare to life. Starring Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Sarah Zimmerman, and Robert Pine.

The Graduate

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 13:40:14 -0700

Benjamin Braddock is fresh out of college without a clue about his future. He ends up having an affair with a much older woman, only to fall in love with her daughter, who's about to marry someone else. Matthew Rhys is Benjamin, and Kathleen Turner is Mrs. Robinson, as they reprise their West End stage roles in The Graduate.

Enron

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:59:40 -0700

The legendary story of one of America's most stunning corporate collapses. A world leader in electricity and gas goes supernova - only to implode in the public eye - in Enron, the darkly funny play by Lucy Prebble. Starring Gregory Itzin as Kenneth Lay and Steven Weber as Jeffrey Skilling.

Working

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:21:53 -0700

Writer and radio personality Studs Terkel spent nearly three years roaming the country interviewing people about their jobs. These conversations were compiled into his best-selling book, and then turned into a Broadway musical. Hear the stories and songs of everyday people on the job in Studs Terkel's Working.

Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:35:22 -0700

The story of one woman's rise from rags to riches . . . and back again. Undine Barnes is a ruthless public-relations maven whose maniucred lifestyle collapses without warning. Forced by circumstance to return to her long-estranged family, Undine must rediscover herself from the ground up. Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine by Lynn Nottage, starring Charlayne Woodard.

Three Hotels and American Appetites

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:01:21 -0700

In three hotel rooms around the world, a corporate executive and his wife reflect on their lives as players in the deadly game of international business. Ron Rifkin and Christine Lahti star in a penetrating reflection on commerce and consequences in "Three Hotels" by Job Robin Baitz. Followed by "American Appetites" based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates.