Showing results by publisher "L.A. Theatre Works" in Drama & Plays

The onscreen pairing of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is at the heart of one of the most popular TV shows in history. Who would have thought that to get on the air, they had to battle both a network and a sponsor who thought the show couldn't possibly succeed? Playwright Gregg Oppenheimer, son of I Love Lucy’s creator Jess Oppenheimer, spins the hilarious true story behind America’s beloved TV comedy.

It's Christmas 1980, and inside a sprawling Upper West Side apartment, Faye Bascov is about to throw an opulent Christmas dinner - a tradition for this secular, well-educated Jewish family. But any family gathering is an invitation for old resentments to boil over, as Faye's sister-in-law Julie and the extended family have plenty to hash out. Flash-forward to 2000, and the apartment, now much shabbier, reflects how the family's fortunes have changed, and the Bascovs now have to reckon with the legacy of their family discord.

The epic sweep of Turgenev's 19th century literary masterpiece is brought to the stage by one of Ireland's greatest living dramatists. Fathers and Sons captures the ongoing clash of generations and philosophies. Set in a Russian country estate, Friel's powerful and resonant adaptation examines the inevitable conflict between the urgency of youth and the entrenchment of age.

Abby Mann's classic story about the Nuremberg trials, under which German leaders were found guilty of crimes against humanity in 1945 and 1946. Even today, the play remains a shattering indictment of the consequences of unchecked authority and the seductive power of group thought.

Based on John Ball's novel which inspired the Oscar-winning film and the Emmy-winning television series, In the Heat of the Night pits a visiting black detective from California against a small Alabama town simmering with anger over desegregation. A fitting reflection of America in the 1960s, this Off-Broadway hit is provocative, timely, and uncomfortably relevant.

The dour, Mr. Darcy is anything but popular with the Bennets, especially when he fancies a member of their clan. And as Elizabeth reluctantly deals with Mr. Darcy’s advances, their romance seems destined to fail. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set the standard for romantic comedies when it debuted in 1813, and it still speaks to audiences worldwide through countless adaptations.

Head firmly in the clouds, Sara McKeon moves in the rarefied world of library work and poetry readings. She seems completely unsuited to investigating the sudden brutal murder of her lover. A haunting mystery, infused with humor, poetry, and urban grit.

Showbiz is John Logan’s harrowing tale of life and death in the theatre. It tells the story of the brilliant young director Julian, whose single-minded determination drives those around him to personal and artistic extremes.

Contemporary satirist Loh spins a darkly comic, semi-autobiographical tale of growing up middle-class Chinese-German in Southern California. This comic monologue is for sons and daughters everywhere who feel that their parents must have beamed to Earth from another planet.

President Harding wants to be with his mistress. Industrialist Henry Ford wants to be President. And inventor Thomas Edison wonders how the three of them got stuck in the woods together. Inspired by an actual camping trip taken by the three men in 1921, this off-Broadway hit is a hilarious adventure with surprising relevance to today's politics.

The birth of Armageddon. The first H-bomb detonates and the proud father is Edward Teller. But he's on a collision course with Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the bomb that obliterated Hiroshima. Now Oppenheimer has turned pacifist and the government will stop at nothing to "neutralize" him. And Teller is their star witness! An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Jordan Baker, Corey Brill, John de Lancie, Reed Diamond, J. Michael Flynn, Raphael Sbarge, Joe Spano, Matt St. James, Simon Templeman, Granville Van Dusen, Geoffrey Wade and Margaret Welsh.

Two boys commit a murder - not for gain, or out of passion - just to do it, just to experience the thrill. Based on the infamous 1924 trial of Leopold and Loeb, Never the Sinner is their story and the story of one of the most famous American lawyers and civil libertarians, Clarence Darrow. In the case of a lifetime, Darrow is called in to defend the monstrous and win freedom for the depraved.

An early Miller gem about a young Midwesterner who finds good fortune shining on him while it passes others by. As his successes pile up, he starts to wonder if he deserves it—and what will happen when his luck finally runs out.

Before Guglielmo Marconi came along, there was no practical way to transmit telegraphic messages without wires. But when he harnessed the power of radio waves to send signals over long distances, what had once seemed impossible became a world-changing reality. In this original L.A. Theatre Works commission, we’ll get a firsthand, intimate view of the precocious Italian inventor, and what he had to overcome in his quest to revolutionize the way we communicate.

Nya, a dedicated teacher at an inner-city school, is desperate to give her only son opportunities that her own public high school students will never have. When a controversial incident at his private school threatens to get Omari expelled, Nya must confront her own deepest fears to give her son a future.

Yasmeen is a Yemeni-American high school senior with big dreams. Dr. Guy Royston is her science teacher with a mysterious past. When Yasmeen asks Dr. Royston for an important favor, it sets off a series of events that challenges their core beliefs about science, faith, and the nature of love. Includes a conversation with playwright Laura Maria Censabella.

Austin is a distinguished Bostonian with a WASP pedigree, an unbeatable squash game, and a frightening secret. After he meets up with his old flame Ruth, they begin a comic and painful voyage of self-discovery.

Lyman Felt has it all: wealth, success, power, and the kind of good, solid wife he needs. Oh, and he also has another wife, the kind of earthy, sexy woman he wants. Lyman juggles his artful lie until a car accident on the slippery slope of Mt. Morgan lands him in a hospital bed—with two wives in the waiting room. But really, is there any such thing as "just an accident"?

L.A. Theatre Works presents four plays about the Japanese American experience during and after World War II: Sisters Matsumoto, Hold These Truths, For Us All, and No-No Boy.

The extraordinary true story of Abe, a man the playwright met at his synagogue. Abe was a fellow of great humor and heart who not only survived three years at Auschwitz - certainly the worst place on earth - but fell in love there. Abe’s life speaks to the resilience of the human spirit, renewal, and hope, even when there seems to be none.