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| WORLD PREMIERE Written by J. Stephen Brantley Produced by Susan Lee, Kerr Seth Lordygan and Erin Treanor Directed by Susan Lee Featuring Kenlyn Kanouse, Garrett Liggett, Kerr Seth Lordygan and Brad C. Wilcox Presented by Eclectic Company Theatre in association with Life On Its Side Productions. Opens Friday, January 15th 8 PM, run thru February 21st Runs Friday, Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 7 PM Tickets - $18 Eclectic Company Theatre 5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Noho (818) 508-3003 Tuffer and Roderick are turning forty. Neither wants to face it. While Tuffer continues to smoke, snort, and screw his way through Manhattan's much younger gay male population, Roderick's gone as straight as possible for activism and martial arts. With the arrival of Tuffer's latest boy toy Brandon, Roderick can take no more. He insists that Tuffer accompany him to sober up at his mother's house in rural New Mexico. When Roderick's mother Abigail, a formerly successful folk singer, throws the guys a very organic birthday party, twenty years of tension comes to a head. The foursome find themselves in a spiritual exile on the high desert, each on the verge of something, almost somewhere, in the jamb. The title of the new play, The Jamb, comes from Tuffer's observation: "We grew up between the old shame and the new show. Post-Stonewall, pre-Will & Grace. We weren't exactly stuck in the closet, but we hadn't fully entered the room yet, either. We were in the doorjamb. Of the closet." Susan Lee directs. Her previous stage directing credits include the recent well-received production of "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde," "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You," "Lloyd's Prayer" (L.A. Weekly Pick of the Week), "Keely and Du," "Afterplay," "Juche Rules" (winner of the USC MPW One Act Playwriting Festival) and much more. She produced, wrote and directed a feature film, "Cinderella Drives a Pick-Up." Her production experience includes stints at Simpson/Bruckheimer Productions, The Ladd Company, Cruise/Wagner, and working as assistant to John Kricfalusi at Spumco Animation. Originally from Texas, playwright J. Stephen Brantley resides in New York. A graduate of the NYU Experimental Theatre Wing, he is a devotee of Kabbalah. His previous plays include Distortion Taco: Analog Hunger in a Digital World (Village Voice Pick of the Year), Break, Struck, Gatos Locos and the Ave Maria, Scoptopia, and Someone You Know Is Starving Tonight. Here's what the reviews say about The Jamb: EDGE LA: "There is some fine acting in The Jamb, especially in the world weary charm with which Kerr Seth Lordygan fleshes out Toffer. Brad C. WilcoxÕs Roderick has the unrewarding task of fuming and raging for two solid hours. He acquits himself handsomely." "Garrett Liggett is surprisingly good as Brandon, managing to hint at an untapped depth in what is largely a vacuous character. Kenlyn Kanouse bustles around nicely with that blissful self-satisfaction of an aging Boomer still deluding herself that her generation arrived on the Earth to make things better - and did." "Susan Lee stages the play with great inventiveness." "The Jamb is entertaining, itÕs provocative, and absolutely worth seeing." Performing Arts Live" Intense and adult subject matter extremely well directed by Susan Lee. Kerr Seth Lordygan demonstrates his range in a difficult role as Tuffer. Brad Wilcox as Rodderick does anger well. Would liked to have seen more of Kenlyn Kanouse as Abigal. Garrett Liggett as Brandon provides the levity and perspective to the other characters that helps connect all the dots. This World Premiere comedy is very much consistent with the fine work that comes from The Eclectic Company Theatre." | |