The following is a list of live theater shows in Santa Monica this weekend compiled by Daily Press Staff. Theater listings will publish at least once a month in the Weekender Edition on a rotating basis with Happy Hour and Art Gallery listings. To add a theater to the listings, contact editor@www.smdp.com.
Ruskin Group Theatre Co.
Ruskin Group Theatre
3000 Airport Ave
(310) 397-3244
http://www.ruskingrouptheatre.com/
The Rainbow Bridge
A new comedy by Ron Nelson. Directed by Michael Myers. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m.
Just when Jerry thought he’d moved on from his family drama, his mother and sister come back to haunt him … literally. The battle he must wage in this fearless and merciless new comedy will remind us all about those hot buttons we keep buried just below the surface. Be brave and you just may enjoy a good cry while you’re laughing …
Santa Monica Playhouse
Santa Monica Playhouse
1211 4th St.
(310) 394-9779
http://www.santamonicaplayhouse.com
theatre@santamonicaplayhouse.com
Annie Oakley and the Princess Café
July 22 2 p.m.
Annie Oakley coming back to life in 2017? Impossible. But that’s exactly what happens as the legendary heroine comes to the aid of a single mom, Kat, and her daughters, struggling to find a balance between the bottom-line temptations of modern living and the comforting solid roots of tradition. Audiences help Annie, Kat and her daughters hold their own against smarmy villain Mable Q. Moneypots, and create a whole new family tradition.
I'm Not Famous
July 22 7 p.m.
A Musical Journey with Barbara Minkus. A brand new musical with “tiny, talented terrific Barbara Minkus … Her energy never flags, smile never dims, voice never falters.” (Backstage) Call the Box Office at (310) 394-9779 ext 1 to book tickets.
The ALL-MALE, LATE-NIGHT Beauty and the Beast
July 22 9:30 p.m.
It's the All-Male Late-Night Date-Night production of the acclaimed musical comedy, a charmingly original adaptation of that most gloriously romantic love story. Set in a fantasy Medieval milieu "long, long ago," a lovely and spirited Beauty takes charge of her fate and molds herself a most endearing Beast, who offers her a rose garden of a thousand and one delights. Replete with ditzy sisters, a befuddled sire, a spell-binding sorceress and a flamboyantly foppish suitor, who all inadvertently or intentionally strew more than a few thorns along Beauty and her Beast's arduous, and ardor-ous, path. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a story where loves wins out, allowing all to find their happily-ever-after endings, and prove that beauty is as beauty does and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Annie Oakley and the Princess Café
July 23 12:30 p.m.
Annie Oakley coming back to life in 2017? Impossible. But that’s exactly what happens as the legendary heroine comes to the aid of a single mom, Kat, and her daughters, struggling to find a balance between the bottom-line temptations of modern living and the comforting solid roots of tradition. Audiences help Annie, Kat and her daughters hold their own against smarmy villain Mable Q. Moneypots, and create a whole new family tradition.
Cock Tales: Shame On Me!
July 23 3 p.m.
From Debra Ehrhardt (Jamaica, Farewell) comes a new one-woman show. Based on true stories of up close and personal encounters with those very complicated members of the opposite sex, Cock Tales: Shame on Me! explores self-discovery, betrayal, molestation, guilt, pleasure and love.
Pain In My Asperger's
July 23 5:30 p.m.
Actor/musician, Jeremy Ebenstein, through story and song, takes audiences through his humorous, inspiring, yet often heartbreaking story of living a life with Asperger's Syndrome. With eight original songs and compositions, Ebenstein chronicles his journey from childhood to adulthood, addressing universal issues like childhood bullying, hopeful romance, and overcoming depression. He offers his unique take on the struggles of everyday life, from relationships, to being able to hold down the simplest of jobs, yet always striving towards his dreams of being accepted and living a successful life.
In Search of Intimacy: Make Love, Not Walls
July 23 5 p.m.
Dancing the eternal dance of lies and truths, hiding behind walls of our own making, battling the ever-present prejudice that threatens to shut down our sensuality and our search for intimacy, how do we find our place, our position, our passion, in a city as vast as Los Angeles?
Supported in part by grants from the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission and Playhouse PALS, In Search Of Intimacy is a ShortBurst Theatre Collaboration in which professional artists, tyro performers and members of the community at large have pooled their resources, their time, and their concerns, resulting in a sometimes tantalizing, sometimes terrifying look at our search for fulfillment and the desperate desire for completion that hovers always at the edge of our awareness.
The Braid
2912 Colorado Ave #102
(310) 315-1400
http://www.jewishwomenstheatre.org
Annie Korzen Famous Actress
July 22 at 8 p.m. & 23 at 2 p.m.
Annie Korzen, best known for her role as the Seinfeld parent’s obnoxious Boca Vista neighbor, has written and will perform an original show about her hectic, eclectic and electric life on the big and small screens. Producers from Jane the Virgin to Brooklyn 99 call Korzen in when they need someone who can get a laugh on one line. Jill Soloway, creator of the Emmy-winning Transparent, says, “Annie Korzen is a force of nature – hilarious, brilliant, and a true inspiration.”
Annie Korzen, SEINFELD’s Doris Klompus, knows that the world would be a better place if everyone would just do what she says, and she has very specific plans for her future and for everyone else’s. This perennial bit player, highly opinionated woman, exasperated mother, and mortified daughter knows exactly what she wants out of life – until life proves her wrong. An evening of laughs, tears, music – and constructive criticism – as Annie learns that it’s only when she lets go and gives up control that things fall into place.
Highways theater:
Highways Performance Space @18th St. Arts Center
1651 18th St.
(310) 453-1755
https://highwaysperformance.org
Ryan Repertory Company – Singing For The Boys: Al Jolson – Judy Garland – Deanna Durbin – at the Palace Theatre 1943
Saturday, July 22 3 & 8 p.m.
Three iconic performers come together for one night in a benefit performance to support the overseas war effort and to entertain the troops on the stage of the Palace Theatre in New York City. Through their signature hit songs and popular songs of the period the audience is taken on a personal journey that reveals what made Al Jolson, Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin truly legendary and what made them so very human, both onstage and backstage.
The Broad Stage
1310 11TH STREET
(310) 434-3200
https://www.thebroadstage.org
Born for this: the musical
July 22 at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Detroit natives BeBe and CeCe Winans experience the ultimate culture shock when invited to join Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Praise the Lord television show. The Winans teenagers have the opportunity not just to become television celebrities, but also to integrate TV evangelism. As BeBe and CeCe encounter fame and fortune, Bebe must learn to balance his desire for success with his true calling.
Morgan-Wixson theatre
2627 PICO BLVD
(310) 828-7519
http://morgan-wixson.org
Seussical
July 22 at 8 p.m.& July 23 at 2 p.m.
Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Tony winners Ahrens and Flaherty have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including The Cat in the Hat; Horton, the elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing the Whos, vowing to protect them from naysayers and dangers; the irresponsible and lazy Mayzie; the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz; and Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” These colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant. Seussical is fun for the whole family!
Edgemar Center For the Arts
2437 Main St
(310) 392-7327
http://www.edgemarcenter.org
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
The setting is a rundown bar in the Bronx, where two of society’s rejects, Danny and Roberta, strike up a halting conversation over their beer. He is a brooding, self-loathing young man who resorts more to violence than reason; she is a divorced, guilt-ridden young woman whose troubled teenage son is now being cared for by her parents. Danny, whose fellow truck drivers call him “the animal,” seems incapable of tender emotion, while Roberta, who is still haunted by the memory of an ugly sexual incident involving her father, is distrustful of men in general. And yet, as their initial reserve begins to melt, and they decide to spend the night together, the possibility of a genuine and meaningful relationship begins to emerge—the first for both of them.
