Bestseller by Peter Quilter fits nicely into the long time home of producer / Artistic Director caryn desai's Long Beach International City Theatre, in the Beverly O'Neill Theatre.
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| Eric M. Myrick, Wendy Worthington, Alexandra Ruth Wright and Ian McQuown Photo by Tracey Roman |
Christopher Scott Murillo's well appointed 'Sprawling living room' features a wonderful clickety clacking manual typewriter wielded by Damien (Ian McQuown) who has come for a stay by the lake in search of inspiration for his noirish and bloody tales. Maureen Sprawling (the ever lovely Wendy Worthington) maintains her home alone after the strange disappearance of Mr. Sprawling years ago. It's a retreat for writers. Bodice ripping romance writer, Shelley (Alexandra Ruth Wright) is unabashedly sexy and appreciates Alex, the newcomer (Eric Myrick) who arrives soaked to the skin and somewhat unprepared for his visit.
The use of the conceit or the 'device' in theatre is always interesting... when it works. Thanks to Male Ensemble and Female Ensemble (Sam Spanjian and Julie Davis) who appear to literally bring to life some of the stories written by the visiting authors, we have High Drama within the drama, which director Jane Page stages in ways that are painful to the necks of the audience. The ensemble actors are tasked to outact the characters within the context of the play. Given the conceit that it's all just a roaring farce, it's acceptable, but is sometimes difficult to bear. Histrionics as the writers' characters come to life is appropriately over the top. The choice for the setting to be somewhere that folks have English accents is a choice that made some of the dialogue difficult to understand. But, the show moves a pace and there are moments of pure fun.
BESTSELLER A World Premiere
by Peter Quilter
Directed by Jane Page
INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
330 East Seaside Way
Long Beach, CA 90802
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
330 East Seaside Way
Long Beach, CA 90802
Performances:
• Thursdays at 8 p.m
• Thursdays at 8 p.m
June 20, June 27
• Fridays at 8 p.m.:
June 14, 2019 (Opening Night),
June 21, June 28
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: June 15, June 22, June 29
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: June 16, June 23, June 30
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: June 16, June 23, June 30
Tickets and information:
562-436-4610
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